In the last 6-7 weeks I’ve boiled blue crabs 4 times, starting from Fiesta Wirt once and then H Mart Blalock the other times.
A nice Asian lady turned me on to the crabs with the most meat, the ones with the dirty bottoms. It bears out with my theory being they haven’t molted yet.
I’m not in the it’s too much work camp but it does take patience to fill up a fresh flour tortilla or make enough for a mess of crab nachos.
There will be times where there are a handful of lethargic and dead crabs but asking one of the Hispanic will bring out a box of live and kicking beauties.
Interesting. I’ve never been a big fan of the blues and never fixed them at home but I’m intrigued. How many are needed per person and what seasonings do you use?
How many per person? Tough question. People of our age, maybe 3 plus, or two.
When I was in my early twenties my brother, a friend, and his wife came down from San Marcos and we crabbed Fort Travis on Bolivar and filled two 48 quart ice chests.
I was the designated driver and had a raging fever by the time we got home. When I woke up after a nap, there was one crab left over easily a hundred plus.
So maybe thirty plus per person for hungry young crab eaters.
I use Zatarain’s crab boil in the box plus a good dose of your favorite Cajun seasoning. Purge crabs in the sink 10-15 minutes while the water boils, changing the water several times so they don’t use up the oxygen and die.
Boil 5 minutes and let soak 15-20. The shell needs to be separated from the body and the lungs and guts removed under water.
They can be served cold with cocktail sauce or warm with drawn butter, great on fresh flour tortillas.
This all sounds like a pain and it is unless you’ve done it many times, but there is nothing better. Before crawfish went ballistic, this was a crab town, especially on the coast.
Most of the crabs are consumed on the spot with warm butter, but you’re right, any leftover is eaten the next day. I refrigerate under ice.
I cook inside I’m my Granny’s cast iron dutch oven. Lord knows how old it is, a minimum of 60 years, probably much older. We can squeeze six in, more than enough for the wifeacita and me with a little leftover. Any more requires a trip to my friend’s place as we are very cramped.
Now, it takes some serious discipline to pick enough meat for nachos, crab creole, or Doobs’ crab cakes without eating it all.
Doobs, I suggest a crab boil at your place if you have an outside cooker but it will need to be May or June when the supply is more reliable. I can always bring a friend along, he has one. I’ll go down to Seabrook and get a mess.
