SOFT-SHELL CRABS:
Soft-shell crabs are one of America's favorite seafood delicacies. While all crabs shed their shells to grow, only a few species of crab can actually be eaten in this form. The blue crab is the only commercially available soft-shell product.
Blue crabs grow rather rapidly, 12 - 18 months, from the juvenile stage to adulthood. A full-grown blue crab will measure nearly 8 inches across. During its lifetime the blue crab will go through several growth stages. In order for a blue crab to lose its shell, the body of the crab physically grows 30%. The commercial crabbers will harvest the blue crab and place it in floating tanks according to its expectant shed dates. The crab expert looks for a faint line next to the crab's paddle-like finlet (backfin). The color of this line will determine when the crab is about to shed its shell. What crabbers refer to as a "green" crab (also called a ‘peeler’ around here) is a crab that is just entering the shedding stage. The "green" crab will have a white line on the backfin and will most likely shed its shell in approximately 7 - 10 days. If the line is pink, the crab is likely to shed within 2 days and probably not longer than one week. If the little line on the backfin is red the crab is likely to shed its shell at any time.
Soft-shell crab is shipped live but typically marketed as fresh. In many cases, the soft-shell crab move when touched. If they are hearty and strong they will arrive live. However, it is most common for them to perish in transit. Motion and heat are the biggest factors affecting the Blue Crabs mortality. The only real indicator to determine the freshness of the blue crab is the smell. Blue crabs that have a distinct ammonia odor should not be served. Blue crabs that have perished but have no odor are still fresh enough to eat. A much-debated measure of freshness is firmness and texture. Firmness is debated because it can be influenced by temperature. A 50-degree "still" will be softer than a 36-degree "still", yet both can have equal freshness.
The best way to store a soft-shell crab is in cool, moist packaging. Wet newspaper and straw have all been used to maintain the moisture content. If the product is to be held live it will be important to store it in a 50-degree temperature. If the product is to be held as fresh, standard coolers of 36-degrees are acceptable. Holding live crab at 36-degrees will ultimately kill the product and move it to the fresh category. While producers suggest that the shelf life for soft-shell crabs is 5 - 6 days that includes all of the shipping and processing time. In the Midwest a shelf life of 2 - 3 days can be expected and on the West Coast a shelf life of 1 - 2 days can be expected.
Soft-shell crabs can also be cleaned (dressed) and then frozen for consumption later.
Ultimately, soft-shell crabs are a delicacy that require appropriate handling and care to insure a quality product. Understanding the crab’s nuances will certainly improve the chef’s ability to satisfy those discriminating taste buds.
CLEANING SOFT-SHELLED CRABS:
Cut crab across the face at an upward angle so that the eye sockets and scaly section of the lower mouth are removed. Lift each side of the shell and remove the gills. Turn the crab over and cut off the bottom apron (that’s the little flap on the underside at the opposite end from the claws) – VOILA!
NOTE: Contrary to popular belief, the "mustard" (or the "green gland" or "tomalley") is not fat and probably not toxic. In fact, some people think it's a delicacy. It's actually the crab's hepatopancreas, a main component of the crab's digestive system. Research shows that chemical contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxin, mercury, and poison-inhalation hazards (PIHs) accumulate in the crab's fatty tissues and concentrate in the hepatopancreas. Not a problem if the crabs are caught in safe waters; however, this gland gives the crab a strong taste which I personally don’t care for. I recommend avoiding the ‘mustard’.
SEE THE LINK BELOW FOR FRYING SOFT-SHELL CRABS:
http://firebird-cooks.blogspot.com/2012/05/fried-soft-shell-crabs.html
HARD-SHELL CRABS (NON-MOLTING)
SEE THE LINK BELOW FOR FRYING SOFT-SHELL CRABS:
http://firebird-cooks.blogspot.com/2012/05/fried-soft-shell-crabs.html
HARD-SHELL CRABS (NON-MOLTING)
CRABMEAT TERMINOLOGY:
Lump crabmeat consists of the two large muscles connected to the swimming fins of the crab. Jumbo lump should never be broken up for a recipe; they are best used in upscale cocktail presentations or in sautés, where the size of the lumps can really shine.
Backfin is a blend of broken pieces of jumbo lump and special grade crab meat. It is perfect for use in crab cakes, dips, salads, and casseroles. Backfin makes a beautiful presentation when stuffing fish, chicken, vegetables, or seafood.
Picked from the swimming fins of the crab, claw meat is a brown meat with a stronger flavor profile. Its stronger flavor makes claw meat ideal for dishes with heavy sauces or in dips and soups, where appearance is not as important and the flavor of the crab still comes through.
CRAB INFO
To tell a male crab from a female crab – just flip them over and look at the underside. A male blue crab, known as a "Jimmy" to watermen, has a long, narrow, inverted "T" shaped apron, and it looks like the Washington Monument. The male’s claws are blue-tipped.
An immature (adolescent) female blue crab, known as a "Sally" or "She-Crab" to watermen, is easily identified as having an inverted "V" or triangular shaped apron and red-tipped claws. Her apron is tightly sealed to her body and does not open since she cannot mate or carry eggs.
A mature (adult) female blue crab, known as a "Sook" to watermen, is identified as having an inverted "U" or bell-shaped apron. Her broadly rounded abdomen is free to open and is not sealed shut as before. She must open her apron in order to mate and to carry eggs. This apron looks like the Capitol building! The females also have a lightish red coloring on the claws – think of it as fingernail polish. Easy enough!
Note: When crabbing, if you want to catch ‘she-crabs’, catch a male and put him in the pot…. Or vice versa if you are crabbing for males. (And BTW – ‘she-crab soup’ often contains both sexes – just so you know) However, since adult female crabs are fertilized early in the season but do not ‘spawn’ (she mixes the sperm with her eggs when she’s ready) until late in the summer, it’s best to release females to insure continued reproduction. In some states, like Maryland, it may even be illegal to possess a female crab. Female crabs with external roe must be returned to the water. It's actually a great practice not to keep any females.
When buying crabs, select ones that are most active and heavy for their size. They can be steamed alive or cleaned and then steamed. Either prep method should be done as soon as possible after obtaining the crabs.
STEAMING LIVE CRABS: (serves 4-6)
1/4 C plus 2 TBSP coarse sea salt
1 C plus 2 TBSP Old Bay seasoning
3 TBSP pickling spice
2 TBSP celery seeds
1 TBSP cayenne pepper flakes
1/2 C Vinegar
1 C Beer or Water
1 dozen Live large blue crabs
Combine first 5 ingredients in a ZipLoc bag and shake to blend.
Add water and vinegar to a 12-16 quart stockpot. Place a rack in the bottom and bring to a boil. Add 6 live crabs and sprinkle with seasoning – repeat with remaining crabs. Cover and cook 20-25 minutes until crabs are bright red. Rinse with cold water and drain. Chill if you aren't eating them right away.
To get to the meat, twist off legs and claws. Crack claws and remove meat with a pick – keep claw meat separate if you plan to use the meat in other recipes. Next, remove the apron (tail flap on underside) and discard. Insert thumb under shell by apron hinge to remove the top shell. Pull away the grey gills and internal organs and discard. Break the body in half and remove meat from pockets. Pick thru the meat to remove any shell or cartilage fragments.
To clean LIVE crabs BEFORE COOKING (my preference because it’s less messy), ice them down for 20-30 minutes - then they are safe to handle without getting pinched. You can leave the claws on, or remove them by carefully twisting them. Next, remove the back shell from body by standing the crab on end with one shell point on a piece of wood. Grasp the four swimmer legs (and claw if you leave it) in one hand while pushing the shell away until the shell pops off***.
Trim away the mouth protrusion on each side with kitchen shears. Cut at an angle. This 'euthanizes the crab. Under COLD running water, remove the ‘tab’ on the underside. Remove the gills (the little feathery things around the perimeter.) Remove any organs and I remove the 'mustard' (the yellow junk - see the NOTE above). The easiest way to remove the mustard is with a soft toothbrush under running water. If desired, break/cut the body in half along the center line. Keep iced until ready to cook.
Trim away the mouth protrusion on each side with kitchen shears. Cut at an angle. This 'euthanizes the crab. Under COLD running water, remove the ‘tab’ on the underside. Remove the gills (the little feathery things around the perimeter.) Remove any organs and I remove the 'mustard' (the yellow junk - see the NOTE above). The easiest way to remove the mustard is with a soft toothbrush under running water. If desired, break/cut the body in half along the center line. Keep iced until ready to cook.
Steam as above but for 6-10 minutes. Meat is done when it’s opaque. (omit pickling spice and celery seeds and cayenne flakes when cooking this way)
*** If you plan to use the shells for serving deviled crab, they MUST be scrubbed absolutely clean right away under running water with a stiff brush and then sterilized for 10 minutes in boiling water. If you aren’t using them right away, freeze immediately. I find that a grout brush is great for cleaning the shells.
EXTRACTING MEAT FROM FRESH CRABS:
This is where crabbing fun ends and the real work begins.
Crabs need to be kept alive until you are ready to clean and/or eat them. Cleaning blue crabs is tedious and time consuming but totally worth the effort. I cleaned 90+ blue crabs and got 34 ounces of meat (not counting claw meat), so you can see why it's so expensive.
If you are picking crabmeat out by hand, I recommend cleaning and steaming them first (see above) for about 6-1 minutes but without the spices. This basically fully cooks the meat. But if you want to extract the meat raw, clean the crabs by removing the claws - leave the swimmer legs, remove the shells and clean the innards as described above. Then completely chill the crabs by putting the pieces in a watertight bag and icing them down or by refrigerating them over night. DO NOT PUT THE ICE DIRECTLY ON THE CRABS - YOU WANT THE MEAT TO BE DRY, NOT SOGGY, WHEN YOU REMOVE IT.
Just a note - removing RAW crabmeat from the shells is slow going. If you're a serious crabber, I would recommend buying a CRABMASTER machine.
Available on line for about $55 plus shipping, this is great for LOTS of crabs. You clean and totally chill the crabs, and then you put the 'swimmer' legs in the crevice between the flat and rounded pieces, and pull the handle forward. The meat is squished out and the cartilage stays under the roller. It's really messy and not worth it for a few crabs, but of you have a good day in the water, it's worth every dime. The main thing is the crabs have to be totally clean, completely dry, and VERY cold. Also, it's imperative that you keep the extracted meat cold. I put a medium metal bowl in a larger metal bowl filled with ice - works great. There is a video on YouTube with operating instructions for the Crabmaster.
As an aside, I've never seen raw crabmeat for sale. If you are not going to cook this right away, freeze it ASAP. What you buy 'fresh' in the cans (like Phillips) has been pasteurized and is ready to eat.
I would add that fresh crabmeat (or fresh in the can - Phillips) is far too hard to come by or way too expensive to use for a recipe like crab cakes, where lots of other ingredients mask the crab flavor. I actually prefer canned lump crab for that.
See my recipes here for sauteed fresh crab, and for remoulade sauce - This is an adaptation of a Ruth's Chris recipe for a lump crab salad that is to die for!
Happy crabbing!
EXTRACTING MEAT FROM FRESH CRABS:
This is where crabbing fun ends and the real work begins.
Crabs need to be kept alive until you are ready to clean and/or eat them. Cleaning blue crabs is tedious and time consuming but totally worth the effort. I cleaned 90+ blue crabs and got 34 ounces of meat (not counting claw meat), so you can see why it's so expensive.
If you are picking crabmeat out by hand, I recommend cleaning and steaming them first (see above) for about 6-1 minutes but without the spices. This basically fully cooks the meat. But if you want to extract the meat raw, clean the crabs by removing the claws - leave the swimmer legs, remove the shells and clean the innards as described above. Then completely chill the crabs by putting the pieces in a watertight bag and icing them down or by refrigerating them over night. DO NOT PUT THE ICE DIRECTLY ON THE CRABS - YOU WANT THE MEAT TO BE DRY, NOT SOGGY, WHEN YOU REMOVE IT.
Just a note - removing RAW crabmeat from the shells is slow going. If you're a serious crabber, I would recommend buying a CRABMASTER machine.
Available on line for about $55 plus shipping, this is great for LOTS of crabs. You clean and totally chill the crabs, and then you put the 'swimmer' legs in the crevice between the flat and rounded pieces, and pull the handle forward. The meat is squished out and the cartilage stays under the roller. It's really messy and not worth it for a few crabs, but of you have a good day in the water, it's worth every dime. The main thing is the crabs have to be totally clean, completely dry, and VERY cold. Also, it's imperative that you keep the extracted meat cold. I put a medium metal bowl in a larger metal bowl filled with ice - works great. There is a video on YouTube with operating instructions for the Crabmaster.
As an aside, I've never seen raw crabmeat for sale. If you are not going to cook this right away, freeze it ASAP. What you buy 'fresh' in the cans (like Phillips) has been pasteurized and is ready to eat.
I would add that fresh crabmeat (or fresh in the can - Phillips) is far too hard to come by or way too expensive to use for a recipe like crab cakes, where lots of other ingredients mask the crab flavor. I actually prefer canned lump crab for that.
See my recipes here for sauteed fresh crab, and for remoulade sauce - This is an adaptation of a Ruth's Chris recipe for a lump crab salad that is to die for!
Happy crabbing!
