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Cracking and Cooking Crab

TIPical Mary Ellen : Episode TIP-1202 -- More Projects »
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Crab can be purchased already cleaned and in pasteurized cans.
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Most meat comes from the arms and shoulders of crabs, but there is meat in the bottom center of the Dungeness crab (at bottom of cutting board).
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Figure A
Chef Andrew Zimmern explains how to crack and cook with various types of crabs. It is one of the most delicious types of seafood available and a lot easier to work with than most people assume, he says.

  • King crab comes from the Northern Pacific, and snow crab comes from the deep waters of the Northern Pacific.

  • All crabs are hard-bodied crustaceans, but some in the eastern part of the country shed their shells. These are considered soft crabs.

  • When a crab is caught it is cooked and flash frozen, so it needs to be steamed to be eaten. To do so, you must first fold up the legs (figure A), then place in a steamer over medium heat for five to seven minutes--just until heated through. Serve with melted butter.
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Figure B
  • To get the meat out, hit the joint on the leg with a hammer or crack it with a crab cracker--also known as sea scissors (figure B). Twist to separate the leg at the joint and slide out the meat.

  • Blue crab is the most flavorful. You can buy it already cleaned and in pasteurized cans if you prefer. A sealed can will last for up to six months, but once opened, it should be kept in the refrigerator, where is will last three to four days. The canned crab comes in several varieties: back fin crab, lump crab and jumbo lump crab. Jumbo lump crab is the best for making crab cakes and what is used in the recipe below.

    Crab Cakes

    Ingredients:

    1 lb. jumbo lump crab
    1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
    dash of hot sauce
    1 beaten egg
    1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
    1/2 cup mayonnaise
    20 saltine crackers

    Preparation:

    Stir together in a bowl the Worcestershire, sauce, egg, mustard and mayonnaise. Place the crabmeat in another bowl and crush the crackers over the meat. Pour the mixture over the crab/crackers and fold together. Press the mixture into a round ring mold to form the cakes.

    At this point you can freeze the cakes on a cookie sheet to use at a later time. Once frozen, scrape off and place into a zippered freezer bag. If you want to go ahead and make them, simply heat olive or canola oil in a pan over medium heat. Let the crab cakes sizzle in the oil until brown on each side.

    • Guests
    Andrew Zimmern
    Professional Chef and Culinary Expert, Food Works Inc.
    1116 Raymond Ave.
    St. Paul, MN 55108
    Phone: 651-335-7456
    E-mail: chefaz@visi.com
    Also in this Episode
    TIPical Mary Ellen : Episode TIP-1202
    •Cracking and Cooking Crab
    •Organizing a Kid's Closet
    •Year-Round Wreaths
    •Tip of the Day
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