This a lot of work. When I lived in DC was at the wharf buying bushel or half bushel every other weekend. Sprinkled on the Old Bay, steam in vinegar and beer, boil some corn, spread some newspapers down and went to business.
This is a different way to eat blue crabs for me..I'm from Washington D.C. and grew up eating Maryland crabs we cook them live and eat them with the shells on..there is no right way to eat them this is different and enjoyed watching!!!
Samantha i ate them the same way you did. But it seems like doing the work first would make eating them more enjoyable, not as much shell and news paper to clean lol
Not gonna give you grief about the way you cooked them, just wanted to say the best part was watching your little helper dig right in and help out dad. Reminds me of Expo “86 in Whiterock BC. Wish I hadn’t lost my son, he would have loved it. Cheers brother.
So, I bought a ton of liveMD Blue Crabs, and was so excited for the dish I was gonna make. Unfortunately, I did not think ahead about the cleaning part. I had to scramble to find a way to humanely paralyze them. I followed your method, Oh wow. I kept saying sorry to thee crabs as I dunk them in ice water. You are right with the 2-in-one, stun and clean the crab all in one fell swoop. I am sold. So happy for your video. THANK YOU!!!!!
Nice. The recipe you're using is a Frogmore Stew, swapping crab for shrimp. We've had it in the South Carolina Lowcountry for decades. Very good stuff! Enjoyed the vid.
There are lots of different ways to prepare a dish and though I've never cleaned crabs until after they are boiled, I can see an advantage to the icing method. When one is making Thai style crabs this is how it is prepped. The halves are then put into a wok with the sauce and the outside is coated with the syrup that requires us to lick our finger tips. Good stuff. Down here in Cajun country we use a 60 qt pot with a basket to facilitate the removal of the food so we can cook several batches using the same seasoned water. We would typically put 2 lbs of the seasoning mix and we cook it on a large high pressure propane burner. I'm impressed that his camping stove could boil that much water. When it comes to seafood I don't care what cooking method is used as long as I get to participate in eating a share.
I would definitely have to participate in the eating. Especially if I'm helping to make multiple batches using your "save the water" technique. Do you need to start with fresh lemon and new onions for each batch? If using in the seasoned water. Or freshen up spices or adding any escaped water?? I love your recycle plan. But wondered if the previous cooking may lower strength of the boil flavors. Tho 2lbs. is a powerful punch of flavor even in your large pot!! I always had steamed crabs, but am opening up to boils now.
I grew up in the coastal southeast and we do our ‘low country boils’ very similar(shrimp is very popular too). I usually throw in the sausage before the meat. Extra fat helps and eliminates the butter. I usually quarter the onion and lemons as well. As far as spices go when I was coming up we always used old bay and the zatarans bag. I’m live in Greeley Colorado now and miss my seafood, but I found a spice blend that’s very similar from Spice Bros here. Just like old bay but less salt and no msg. They have regular and spicy. Man it makes the best boils I’ve ever had! Glad to see good Deep South cooking in Minnesota!
I clean my crabs the exact same way. Thank you. Everybody do things differently so to each it's own. I mean you have people who don't rince off their chicken before cooking. Really. Hats off to this young man
I am from southern Louisiana and I am impressed that is so close to a Louisiana crab boil. The exception being peeling crabs prior to cooking, butter and ranch dressing. I do use a different seasoning however they are similar in taste.
My brother drove from Maryland to Georgia with a bushel of grabs on ice. When he arrived at my house with them , I thought they were dead. .The ice put the crabs to sleep. A few minutes after taking the crabs out of the ice they started moving around . the whole bushel of crabs were alive.
Anytime you put crabs in water they will most definitely die! The key is to put them on ice with no water. You do not want them dead when you boil them.
I LOVE THIS VIDEO! You Sir have a beautiful family. Congratulations and keep up the good work! Enjoyed the video through and through from beginning to end! Sending it to my wife as we speak!
WHAAAAAT ARE YOU DOING TO OUR BELOVED BLUES?????? Raised in Indian Head,I grew up on these lovely ,tasty crabs...this is not at all the way we REAL,TRUE marylanders prepare crabs...all that great crab fat you've wasted by washing it out of the crab,and you never ever kill them before they're cooked...you take every bit of fun out of eating them,you've over prepped ,wasted lots of time in doing so and,ruined the real crab flavor.....tsk,tsk,tsk!!!... SMH 😥 Only thing I've seen that sounds half way decent is the boil you made but that's it!...no veggies,no sausage...ugh ...to each his own but,this idea is not the way of true Maryland folks...just saying...you say you were putting all the corn, potatoes and sausage for flavor...if you hadn't over washed and cleaned them before cooking,you'd have flavor,ranch for dipping?... That's truly nasty,melted butter and lemon maybe,but pure crab nothing on it is pure heaven....ranch dressing for dipping LMAO,that's sounds like a California idea,...not Marylands.....this video is whack and a waste of my time... thanks but no thanks
Ranch on Crab wtf? You're joking right? Crab meat has a subtle flavorful taste by itself, it doesn't need much to compliment. But even if it weren't seasoned with the classics like Old Bay (from the Chesapeake Bay and a staple of the East Coast) or Zatarains (Cajun, a staple of Louisiana) it tastes great with just melted butter.
@Venom101002 were you aware how much of this planet is home to blue crabs? I seriously thought they were confined to the Chesapeake Bay region, but I saw one in a pool of water in the Amazon jungle, and Cambodia......!?!?!?
I grew up in Staten Island, N.Y.. My family is Italian. We'd go to South Jersey to catch the crabs, and bring them home. We too cleaned them first. I even took the liberty of using a nail brush to scrub between the claws. The way we cooked them was different. Large pot, Olive oil on the bottom 4- 5 tbl spoons, 6-7 garlic cloves, or one bulb. Fresh Parsley leaves, salt & pepper. Put the cleaned crabs in the pot and cover. Stir frequently. (There's basically nothing but crab, and flavoring in the pot so far). When the crabs start to turn red from the steam pour in 3 - 4 large cans of crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Simmer on low flame for 15 minutes. Finito! Served with your favorite brand of spaghetti! Messy, & delicious. The real art is how to disect the crab and get all of the meat with no waste. Here's a hint: break the body in half, then start by pinching off all of the legs, save the swimmy for last, crack off each knuckle then pry the body open top from bottom. All the meat will stare you in the face. Clean out the sections, and move on. Oh, don't forget to serve with nut crackers for the claws. I don't break them before hand. Bon appetite!
I love crabs, seafood period for that matter but never have cooked them whole only crab legs. But after watching your video (very informative btw) I'm much more positive in cooking them myself. Thanks AWESOME VIDEO
If you're from Louisiana or Maryland or the Carolina's you have to be saying WTF!!!! I mean Louisiana has some of the biggest Blue Crabs in the country, we've been boiling crabs for hundreds of years. Those old Cajuns would feed you to the gators for doing that. Obviously you have never had crabs the way it's supposed to be done. Please don't waste anymore crabs .
Some people prefer to eat the meat instead of the poop and guts. Your descendants probably left it all in because they lived in poverty and nothing could go to waste. Also, after the massive oil spill in the gulf and the pollution should you ought to be eating crab poop and the organs. The excrement is a combination of toxins and wastes that the crab's body did not want to absorb which is probably the oil and other crap that's floating around in the gulf.
I’m from South Alabama and the minute I saw him wash all that beautiful delicious mustard away I almost dropped my phone I’m like what the hell is he doing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And what kinda of bologna looking sausages is he cooking them up with!!!!!!!!! Lord help this man find some Cajun andouille sausage or some spicy conecuhsausage.com/ them crabs deserved a better ending!!!!!!!!!!
My partner and I catch our own crab using a roof, reel and crab snare. Our buckets are filled with the ocean water and an aireator plus it's changed with fresh several times a day. We fish/crab for at least 12 hours plus we are hours away from the ocean. Long day but we get a lot of Dungeness and Rock crab. Once home we boil the crab while alive in fresh water and Kosher salt for 15 minutes then place them into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. They are sealed in vacuum bags then frozen until time to eat them. We defrost for 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator then pop the top and clean. Then we steam them until warm, 5 to 15 minutes. Yumm! At the price of crab we eat thousands of dollars worth each season. If you haven't tried catching them yourself your missing a lot of fun!
Eugene Mitchell very interesting preparation methods. I love that you prepare to have precious meat, no matter the season! I’m from the coast of NC and I love and dearly miss crabbing with a line on a stake and some chicken necks, or scooping them from the docks around the pier with a dip net! I’d love to know more about how you catch them. Only by luck have I reeled in crab-albeit without “crab snare.”
OK Papa! At first I was like Whaaaat? Being from the DelMarVaDC area I used to boil and now I steam in my stainless steel Turkey roaster I bought 35 years ago with a mixture of beer and water. We use Chesapeake crab boil but not in the water but place a small pile on the table and use our fingers to pinch. We microwave our corn in the husk 5 minutes. Wonderful video and beautiful daughter and spunky too.
I'm from Louisiana, & we don't clean before we boil. They are rinsed & boiled, then servered for each person to clean & enjoy. They have a lot of seasoning with them not being cleaned, as you do, in them. You should try it, at least once, then you would know what I mean. And a good dipping sause is: mayo, ketsup, sweet pickle relish, La Hot sause to taste. Should be a salmon coloring, when done correctly. Bon apetite
Should not be harvested if it has eggs, take a tip from the lobster regulations. Imo no females ever get harvested. Blue crab live about 3 yrs and carry around a quarter million eggs per breeding season. The abuse of females caught and harvested impacts the population. Iknow the large females are on their last year to be alive and those are ok to harvest but the policy of no females ever harvested would be best for the species and the ecosystem in which they live.
My father would take my brother and I to tuckahoe river and we’d crab on his canoe. Haven’t gone since he passed but I’d love to eventually since I just moved back to south jersey
Orlando Miyamoto why are you worried about what I commented I have a freedom of speech virgin it’s a comment section for a reason did I hurt your feelings? I’m toxic? You sound like my damn ex girlfriend are you a female? All those comments about it and you came to mine congratulations
Broooo. Every Marylander on the planet is cursing you right now, lol. I was like Ohhhhhh no, baby...what...is you doing?? 😂 You can do that with crawfish, but not blue crabs. Man. Shoot.
I was clutching my Pearls when he took that 1st crab shell OFF.. n I was very confused... I thought he was gonna maybe purge them in the water and rinse them off to "clean" them... but I never saw this coming... and so inhumane omg... I need to invite him to Baltimore to give him the proper experience of eating crabs😄
Never convert me to this process vs steaming. We catch crabs by the bushel and the thought of cleaning them prior and then boiling all the flavor and it leaching into the water is unfathomable to a multi generational Maryland native. My wife is from Maine, still has family that lobster for a living. About twenty five years ago I tried converting her uncle to steaming vs boiling. He laughed it off until we steamed up a batch instead of the traditional boiling. They cook so much faster by steaming and cook in their own juices which does wonders for the true flavors. He was sold on steaming immediately and rarely ever boiled them again. This is a man who grew up lobstering and was in his 70s at that time. One final comment. Everyone likes the seasoning taste but your process totally wipes clean the sweet rich flavor of the crabmeat. The seasoning should compliment the crab not kill it. But when your buying your crabs that are probably three or four days old you have to hide that old crab smell with something
I agree that adding all the cajon or packets of flavors would definitely make it harder to taste fresh crab, which i love(especially steamed and just butter sauce and maybe a sprinkle of celery seed). But i know so many who love their strongly seasoned boils and wouldn't dream of telling them any one way is better. It's all a matter of opinion and individual taste buds. By the way, the crabs he was cooking were definitely alive when he bought them at the market. And I'm sure most ppl in today's times are careful in the handling process. We've heard it much too long now.
Great video! I live japan but unfortunately you wouldn’t find live crabs in the local grocery stores (however in South Korea and China, definitely). I have to head to the fish market specifically for crabs but I’m SO excited to try this recipe out! I also shared your video with my mom back in the states! Thank you for the upload! （＾ω＾）
She reminds me of my little girl. You have a nice family man. It must be really nice to go out like this. I was a fisherman before I joined the army. Now I'm fully disabled
In Maryland we steam them live they turn red and cover with Old Bay seasoning by McCormicks. Same for shrimp.You can also boil shrimp they will turn pink red add old bay and some steam onion . Heaven
Cleaning them prior to cooking washes away all of the flavor, it also makes the crabmeat wet and tasteless . We steam them whole with old bay for optimum sweetness and tenderness.
I have never ever ever seen anyone kill a blue crab and then cook it... Though I liked the fact you cleaned them I learned that you DO NOT eat a blue crab if it dies... We steam/cook them live ALWAYS... This is all new to me... 😗 Now, I am seeing you put a whole stick of butter in your boil... 😨... I'll trust you if you say it is good... I may even try one crab for an experimental boil one day just to see if it is... However, I'm originally from Baltimore and you would get put out the city for cooking a blue crab this way... However, thank you for this different point of view on our beloved blue crabs...
Thank you so very much for this informative video; Now, I just need to get the heart up to doing this; Hope I can find an Asian market where I can pick my own crabs..Never cleaned blue crabs before..Looks sooo good, Enjoy as you should!! 😊❤❤❤
Nice video. But I completely disagree with the statement that it's pointless to select a crab without claws. Backfin meat beats claw meet any day of the week.
I would agree with you except the fact for me which I'm from South Carolina Goose Creek to be exact not born there. I am very particular about my Seafood it has to be deveined remove lungs remove any anus
@@stevenkelly9731 There is no place called Cali except in a 90's rap star's mind. If you mean the Golden state of California (rapidly turning to crap under this Governor), then no. He is not from California. The license plate on his truck in the garage clearly indicates he is a mid-westerner from Minnesota.
Cleaning was perfect but you prefer boiling to steaming? I prep them the same exact way, but then I will put about a half inch of oil, a bunch of smashed garlic cloves, and a stick of butter. I sweat the garlic on med/med hi heat, being very careful not to burn the garlic or butter fat. Right before the garlic starts to slightly toast, I add my cleaned crabs, and give the a quick mix in the oil butter garlic (just enough to get them all coated). I then crank the heat up to high, add a few bay leaves and one whole Old Milwaukee beer (don’t ask why Old Milwaukee... I have tried every other beer and you still get good results, but the Old Milwaukee ones always come out so much better. I wouldn’t drink the stuff if I was dying of thirst, but I will use every time in my seafood steaming). The goal is to have the oil hot enough, when you add the beer, for it to really react with the oil and butter, that it causes immediate massive amounts of steam. I then quickly add a heaping handful of Old Bay as well as about 3-4 tablespoons of white vinegar. Give the whole thing a gentle swirl / stir (sometimes a good shake if the lid fits tight enough on the pot I’m using). I then leave covered on high for only 5-7, or until every crab is vibrant red. I then remove from heat, and put the whole pot into a cooler or other tub filled with ice, remove the lid of the crab pot to prevent the condensation from dripping back into the oil and crabs as they cool off. I then take a hearty pinch of fresh, finely chopped, parsley and just toss on top. I give them one more shake/stir and then remove from ice. I then remove all the crabs to a separate serving dish, spoon some of the oil and seasoning mix back on top, squeeze a lemon over top, and add a light coating of old bay on top once again. You can then heat the oil back up, add 1-2 sticks of unsalted butter (the first stick used was salted) and bring back up to a rolling boil. While I was doing all that, I would have another pot of boiling water ready to toss in some homemade linguine. As soon as pasta is almost aldente, I remove with tongs, and transfer into the boiling oil/butter/beer/crab juice, intentionally letting some (not a lot just what is on the quickly strained pasta) of the pasta water go in with the linguine. Let cook for 2 min and remove from heat. Use a serving spoon and fork to twirl a ball of pasta, set in the middle of a larger shallow bowl, and lay my crabs around the side. Hit the whole thing with a little more juice and a quick splash of lemon and a couple pinches of Old Bay. I promise you, if you have this dish, you will fall in love! Many of my friends and family will always bring me crabs (or really any seafood) and ask me to cook them this way for them. Try it out, let me know what you guys think.
As a former "boil them alive" crab eater all I can say is I am so glad I switched to the clean first method and this video is an excellent tutorial. P.S. I steam or grill rather than boil most of the time
I use vinegar AND beer to steam crabs. NOT a drop of water! Any good seafood seasoning like Old Bay. Remember, you are steaming not boiling them so you need a strainer to keep them out of the liquids below.
@@stevenkelly9731 Hey playa ... We can call it whatever we want to ... At the end of the day you know exactly what im trying to say ... Keep ballin playa
when I worked on the high seas on a shrimp boat, and I do mean high. I really liked them when they shed the shell to grow. Of course they call em soft shell crabs but they are delicious. I would wash them leave the legs on give them a light cover of batter and deep fry. They would look like a big spider on the platter. I think I liked soft shell crabs more than shrimp
When you use a high pressure hose you actually remove a significant amount of white meat along with the female repro organs. If you use your fingers the cleaning is more precise and you won’t blast away meat and as much of the flavor. A slow stream of water and your fingers will do a much superior job. I prefer to steam with shells on to retain the moisture in the meat. I compare my cooked crab with ANY OTHER cooking method! Cook yours and pick the meat vs mine. 25% more weight ( just white meat only) and flavor when cooked with shells on. 59 years of professional cooking experience!
Hi! My Boyfriend and I are going crabing for the first time to get Blue Crabs in North carolina and we're cooking them at our rental, we didnt realize it didn't have an oven or stove though! It only has a toaster oven and we've never done crabs before. :( can you give us any advice on how to properly clean and cook them in a toaster oven?
if the crabs are not cold and dormant they will bit you. I got bit before on my finger..the sucker wouldn't let my finger go, I thought he was going to break it. I finally got my finger out and he was the first to die..he was delicious along with all the other ones.
Great video. I’m from Trinidad and a Tobago we call these crab cyric crab. Next time cut them in half so they will all fit in the pot. We curry the crabs and eat it with dumplings. You can google Trinidad curry crab and dumplings it’s delicious. We season it with culantro, garlic, onions, black pepper and if you like spicy you can cook with a scotch bonnet pepper. Enjoy if you try it.
This a lot of work. When I lived in DC was at the wharf buying bushel or half bushel every other weekend. Sprinkled on the Old Bay, steam in vinegar and beer, boil some corn, spread some newspapers down and went to business.
This is a different way to eat blue crabs for me..I'm from Washington D.C. and grew up eating Maryland crabs we cook them live and eat them with the shells on..there is no right way to eat them this is different and enjoyed watching!!!
Samantha Crawford so do they need cleaned then? I just saw a cooking show where well known chefs would not eat crabs that were not cleaned
Samantha i ate them the same way you did. But it seems like doing the work first would make eating them more enjoyable, not as much shell and news paper to clean lol
james stephenson It’s better to steam them with the shell on.
@HeyWould Ja’Blowme MGTOW Yeah I agree. They also loose the juiciness when you wash them
Ayyyee right we dont do all that extra stuff.. dmv born and raised
Not gonna give you grief about the way you cooked them, just wanted to say the best part was watching your little helper dig right in and help out dad. Reminds me of Expo “86 in Whiterock BC. Wish I hadn’t lost my son, he would have loved it. Cheers brother.
So, I bought a ton of liveMD Blue Crabs, and was so excited for the dish I was gonna make. Unfortunately, I did not think ahead about the cleaning part. I had to scramble to find a way to humanely paralyze them. I followed your method, Oh wow. I kept saying sorry to thee crabs as I dunk them in ice water. You are right with the 2-in-one, stun and clean the crab all in one fell swoop. I am sold. So happy for your video. THANK YOU!!!!!
Nice. The recipe you're using is a Frogmore Stew, swapping crab for shrimp. We've had it in the South Carolina Lowcountry for decades. Very good stuff! Enjoyed the vid.
Thanks for the tip :) thanks for watching!
There are lots of different ways to prepare a dish and though I've never cleaned crabs until after they are boiled, I can see an advantage to the icing method. When one is making Thai style crabs this is how it is prepped. The halves are then put into a wok with the sauce and the outside is coated with the syrup that requires us to lick our finger tips. Good stuff. Down here in Cajun country we use a 60 qt pot with a basket to facilitate the removal of the food so we can cook several batches using the same seasoned water. We would typically put 2 lbs of the seasoning mix and we cook it on a large high pressure propane burner. I'm impressed that his camping stove could boil that much water. When it comes to seafood I don't care what cooking method is used as long as I get to participate in eating a share.
I would definitely have to participate in the eating. Especially if I'm helping to make multiple batches using your "save the water" technique. Do you need to start with fresh lemon and new onions for each batch? If using in the seasoned water. Or freshen up spices or adding any escaped water?? I love your recycle plan. But wondered if the previous cooking may lower strength of the boil flavors. Tho 2lbs. is a powerful punch of flavor even in your large pot!! I always had steamed crabs, but am opening up to boils now.
You got me wanting to try to buy fresh and cook them myself. Looks great 👍
I grew up in the coastal southeast and we do our ‘low country boils’ very similar(shrimp is very popular too). I usually throw in the sausage before the meat. Extra fat helps and eliminates the butter. I usually quarter the onion and lemons as well. As far as spices go when I was coming up we always used old bay and the zatarans bag. I’m live in Greeley Colorado now and miss my seafood, but I found a spice blend that’s very similar from Spice Bros here. Just like old bay but less salt and no msg. They have regular and spicy. Man it makes the best boils I’ve ever had! Glad to see good Deep South cooking in Minnesota!
I clean my crabs the exact same way. Thank you. Everybody do things differently so to each it's own. I mean you have people who don't rince off their chicken before cooking. Really. Hats off to this young man
I clean them the same way. Some do it differently.
you dont need to rinse chicken
ive had beef cuts, chicken, lamb etc Ive never rinsed them. in over 20 years
I enjoyed your video I love watching how other people cook their blue crabs! There is no right or wrong way! That pot looked damn good👍
I am from southern Louisiana and I am impressed that is so close to a Louisiana crab boil. The exception being peeling crabs prior to cooking, butter and ranch dressing. I do use a different seasoning however they are similar in taste.
after watching all these marinated Korean crab videos, seeing him wash the eggs out made me cry omfgg
Roe is disgusting and gross.
Those are males
Ah yes the eggs in male crabs tasty
Ice water doesn’t kill it. It just slows them down so that’s why you don’t see them move
@Tina Butterfly I see you forgot the black death and when the average life expectancy was 50 in Rome while now the average US life expectancy is 78.38
My brother drove from Maryland to Georgia with a bushel of grabs on ice. When he arrived at my house with them , I thought they were dead. .The ice put the crabs to sleep. A few minutes after taking the crabs out of the ice they started moving around . the whole bushel of crabs were alive.
Anytime you put crabs in water they will most definitely die! The key is to put them on ice with no water. You do not want them dead when you boil them.
Ice paralyzes them. but the fresh water can kill them
Yes! Lmao!
I LOVE THIS VIDEO! You Sir have a beautiful family. Congratulations and keep up the good work! Enjoyed the video through and through from beginning to end! Sending it to my wife as we speak!
Very inspiring! I loved the demonstration he gave! Thank you!!
I love that she not scared and you teaching her how to do it at the same time beautiful
The little 👧 girl is so adorable assisting her dad cleaning crabs. Making great memories 😌 !
I wish I had someone to open and clean them for me before I ate them....love Crabs from Maryland!
Terri Dennison Maryland has the best. Its a restaurant at the harbor that has the best crab pizza yumm
These are not Maryland blue crabs
WHAAAAAT ARE YOU DOING TO OUR BELOVED BLUES??????
Raised in Indian Head,I grew up on these lovely ,tasty crabs...this is not at all the way we REAL,TRUE marylanders prepare crabs...all that great crab fat you've wasted by washing it out of the crab,and you never ever kill them before they're cooked...you take every bit of fun out of eating them,you've over prepped ,wasted lots of time in doing so and,ruined the real crab flavor.....tsk,tsk,tsk!!!... SMH 😥
Only thing I've seen that sounds half way decent is the boil you made but that's it!...no veggies,no sausage...ugh ...to each his own but,this idea is not the way of true Maryland folks...just saying...you say you were putting all the corn, potatoes and sausage for flavor...if you hadn't over washed and cleaned them before cooking,you'd have flavor,ranch for dipping?... That's truly nasty,melted butter and lemon maybe,but pure crab nothing on it is pure heaven....ranch dressing for dipping LMAO,that's sounds like a California idea,...not Marylands.....this video is whack and a waste of my time... thanks but no thanks
That looks delicious, thanks for the video, blue crab is on the menu for Saturday!
Enjoyed the video! Thanks for the detail of your crab boil... such a great inspiration.
No dipping sauce or dressing needed if it's seasoned right. Ranch?
Ranch on Crab wtf? You're joking right? Crab meat has a subtle flavorful taste by itself, it doesn't need much to compliment. But even if it weren't seasoned with the classics like Old Bay (from the Chesapeake Bay and a staple of the East Coast) or Zatarains (Cajun, a staple of Louisiana) it tastes great with just melted butter.
The entire state of Maryland just said, "WTF".
Venom101002 New Yorkers also
OMG, he has never had Maryland Steamed Crabs before!
Damn right, Venom. Where the hell is the Old Bay?
And VA!
@Venom101002 were you aware how much of this planet is home to blue crabs? I seriously thought they were confined to the Chesapeake Bay region, but I saw one in a pool of water in the Amazon jungle, and Cambodia......!?!?!?
I grew up in Staten Island, N.Y.. My family is Italian. We'd go to South Jersey to catch the crabs, and bring them home. We too cleaned them first. I even took the liberty of using a nail brush to scrub between the claws. The way we cooked them was different. Large pot, Olive oil on the bottom 4- 5 tbl spoons, 6-7 garlic cloves, or one bulb. Fresh Parsley leaves, salt & pepper. Put the cleaned crabs in the pot and cover. Stir frequently. (There's basically nothing but crab, and flavoring in the pot so far). When the crabs start to turn red from the steam pour in 3 - 4 large cans of crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Simmer on low flame for 15 minutes. Finito! Served with your favorite brand of spaghetti! Messy, & delicious. The real art is how to disect the crab and get all of the meat with no waste. Here's a hint: break the body in half, then start by pinching off all of the legs, save the swimmy for last, crack off each knuckle then pry the body open top from bottom. All the meat will stare you in the face. Clean out the sections, and move on. Oh, don't forget to serve with nut crackers for the claws. I don't break them before hand. Bon appetite!
Thanks for uploading this! Gonna try it this weekend!
I love crabs, seafood period for that matter but never have cooked them whole only crab legs. But after watching your video (very informative btw) I'm much more positive in cooking them myself. Thanks AWESOME VIDEO
If you're from Louisiana or Maryland or the Carolina's you have to be saying WTF!!!! I mean Louisiana has some of the biggest Blue Crabs in the country, we've been boiling crabs for hundreds of years. Those old Cajuns would feed you to the gators for doing that. Obviously you have never had crabs the way it's supposed to be done. Please don't waste anymore crabs .
You see he's from Minnesota, so their you are.
Some people prefer to eat the meat instead of the poop and guts. Your descendants probably left it all in because they lived in poverty and nothing could go to waste. Also, after the massive oil spill in the gulf and the pollution should you ought to be eating crab poop and the organs. The excrement is a combination of toxins and wastes that the crab's body did not want to absorb which is probably the oil and other crap that's floating around in the gulf.
I'm from Maryland and I was like what!😖
ahem,the poop is in the bottom nearing the end. The orange stuff is obviously edible.
I have to make some blue crab for a Thanksgiving party. I can never get mine to come out like my people in South Carolina. Someone help please
Was looking for a recipe and glad I read the comments. Saved my Crabs.
That looks incredible, thanks for sharing!
I’m from South Alabama and the minute I saw him wash all that beautiful delicious mustard away I almost dropped my phone I’m like what the hell is he doing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And what kinda of bologna looking sausages is he cooking them up with!!!!!!!!! Lord help this man find some Cajun andouille sausage or some spicy conecuhsausage.com/ them crabs deserved a better ending!!!!!!!!!!
lol..you are so right on
I love the mustard too
Roll Tide I hateee when people waste the mustard 😭 one of the best parts!!
Roll Tide yes!!!! Same!!!
same here
Ranch...for dipping??
Out of your mind.
That's what I said lol
Ikr
Lol
Will Harden welcome to Minnesota 🤷🏼♀️
Lol yeah out of his mind!
Awesome video, you made a very intimidating thing looks so easy. Great job. The baby is adorable. Enjoy them while they're young. Thanks, God bless
Thanks for that I needed some polishing up on my boils !! Appreciate it!!
I'm from SC and people will fight you if you did that to blue Crabs
Algernon Banks 👉 on
I lived in Goose Creek looks correct to me. now if it was soft shell cooking that's a different story
😂😂😂😂😂
Ok
Charleston SC we boil our crabs whole..the way he clean his 🦀 wasn't so bad.
That little girl is brave lol
She really is! lol thanks for watching
Can i meet her? I wanna meet her
Tina Butterfly it’s a child man Jesus some of you need lives for real.....
My partner and I catch our own crab using a roof, reel and crab snare. Our buckets are filled with the ocean water and an aireator plus it's changed with fresh several times a day. We fish/crab for at least 12 hours plus we are hours away from the ocean. Long day but we get a lot of Dungeness and Rock crab.
Once home we boil the crab while alive in fresh water and Kosher salt for 15 minutes then place them into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.
They are sealed in vacuum bags then frozen until time to eat them.
We defrost for 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator then pop the top and clean. Then we steam them until warm, 5 to 15 minutes.
Yumm!
At the price of crab we eat thousands of dollars worth each season.
If you haven't tried catching them yourself your missing a lot of fun!
Eugene Mitchell very interesting preparation methods. I love that you prepare to have precious meat, no matter the season!
I’m from the coast of NC and I love and dearly miss crabbing with a line on a stake and some chicken necks, or scooping them from the docks around the pier with a dip net! I’d love to know more about how you catch them. Only by luck have I reeled in crab-albeit without “crab snare.”
OK Papa! At first I was like Whaaaat? Being from the DelMarVaDC area I used to boil and now I steam in my stainless steel Turkey roaster I bought 35 years ago with a mixture of beer and water. We use Chesapeake crab boil but not in the water but place a small pile on the table and use our fingers to pinch. We microwave our corn in the husk 5 minutes. Wonderful video and beautiful daughter and spunky too.
I like to see how others cook. Thanks for the post. My seasoning for crab would be, "Old Bay".
I'm from Louisiana, & we don't clean before we boil. They are rinsed & boiled, then servered for each person to clean & enjoy. They have a lot of seasoning with them not being cleaned, as you do, in them. You should try it, at least once, then you would know what I mean. And a good dipping sause is: mayo, ketsup, sweet pickle relish, La Hot sause to taste. Should be a salmon coloring, when done correctly. Bon apetite
So apparently NO ONE cleans them the way this guy does lol... bcuz we like flavorful crabs! 💗
Yes Not Louisiana cooking.
WOW!! Awesome step by step!! Thanks will give your recipe a try 👌👍Thumbs up from New Zealand!!
We're moving to southeast Georgia soon and can crab off our community dock - so this is very helpful! Thanks!
such a waste though of the crab roe and juice
Roe is gross.
I thought that too.. make some crab stock, that what I'd do with all that goodness he put in the discarded bucket.. I wonder what he does with shrimp?
ciscoallah well, thats his crab so he can do whatever lol
but totally wasting the good stuff
My thoughts exactly. Those orange stuff are the best!
The roe and head fat is the best part.
Always leave the orange part on it. Its eggs(babies) it tastes real good and also gives a lot much sweet flavor to the crab when its pregnant
He might not like it that’s why he removed it.
Should not be harvested if it has eggs, take a tip from the lobster regulations. Imo no females ever get harvested. Blue crab live about 3 yrs and carry around a quarter million eggs per breeding season. The abuse of females caught and harvested impacts the population. Iknow the large females are on their last year to be alive and those are ok to harvest but the policy of no females ever harvested would be best for the species and the ecosystem in which they live.
Thanks for sharing your technique with us.
I used to go crabbing every year as a kid in on the Jersey Shore at my grandmothers on the bay.
My father would take my brother and I to tuckahoe river and we’d crab on his canoe. Haven’t gone since he passed but I’d love to eventually since I just moved back to south jersey
If the baby can grab the crab then so can I
yup! lol
I’m still so scared 😂😂
I'm stil afraid to touch it when it's cooked lol which is why I've never eaten it
Don't Do It.
Girl same here
dude you just rinsed out the best part of crab eating. Man when I see people do that they really shouldn't be making how to videos on crabs
Alright who tf are you, the cook constable ? 🤣👮🏻♂️
The crab connoisseur
Wonderful video. You made cooking crab look so easy.
Wow! Good job! I'm definitely trying this!
Bruh so you said no melted butter but ranch 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️ you did everything wrong stop eating crabs
Lol pretty much
bruh ur toxic 🙄 let this man live his best life why are you watching if ur just gonna criticize
Because he’s ruining crabs. Crabs don’t belong dipped in ranch lol. Like go get some chicken Breh.
Orlando Miyamoto why are you worried about what I commented I have a freedom of speech virgin it’s a comment section for a reason did I hurt your feelings? I’m toxic? You sound like my damn ex girlfriend are you a female? All those comments about it and you came to mine congratulations
Malik Brown aww did i hurt ur feelings 🥺that you had to write a whole paragraph no wonder you have an ex 💀
Broooo. Every Marylander on the planet is cursing you right now, lol. I was like Ohhhhhh no, baby...what...is you doing?? 😂 You can do that with crawfish, but not blue crabs. Man. Shoot.
I'm from Maryland and I'm like WTF is he doing!!!!
@@redta93kwy This made me feel some type of way, lol. Them he broke out the ranch dressing 🤮🤢🤮
I was legit on Tangier Island today and brought home some soft shells fresh from water. WTH is this? Not a Marylander for sure!
@@rachaelwood9399 it's been a few weeks, and this still bothers me
I was clutching my Pearls when he took that 1st crab shell OFF.. n I was very confused... I thought he was gonna maybe purge them in the water and rinse them off to "clean" them... but I never saw this coming... and so inhumane omg... I need to invite him to Baltimore to give him the proper experience of eating crabs😄
You encourage me to try this its doable even for a single guy like me. Thank you for your generosity of your cooking knowledge.
Never convert me to this process vs steaming. We catch crabs by the bushel and the thought of cleaning them prior and then boiling all the flavor and it leaching into the water is unfathomable to a multi generational Maryland native. My wife is from Maine, still has family that lobster for a living. About twenty five years ago I tried converting her uncle to steaming vs boiling. He laughed it off until we steamed up a batch instead of the traditional boiling. They cook so much faster by steaming and cook in their own juices which does wonders for the true flavors. He was sold on steaming immediately and rarely ever boiled them again. This is a man who grew up lobstering and was in his 70s at that time.
One final comment. Everyone likes the seasoning taste but your process totally wipes clean the sweet rich flavor of the crabmeat. The seasoning should compliment the crab not kill it. But when your buying your crabs that are probably three or four days old you have to hide that old crab smell with something
I agree that adding all the cajon or packets of flavors would definitely make it harder to taste fresh crab, which i love(especially steamed and just butter sauce and maybe a sprinkle of celery seed). But i know so many who love their strongly seasoned boils and wouldn't dream of telling them any one way is better. It's all a matter of opinion and individual taste buds. By the way, the crabs he was cooking were definitely alive when he bought them at the market. And I'm sure most ppl in today's times are careful in the handling process. We've heard it much too long now.
Great video! I live japan but unfortunately you wouldn’t find live crabs in the local grocery stores (however in South Korea and China, definitely). I have to head to the fish market specifically for crabs but I’m SO excited to try this recipe out! I also shared your video with my mom back in the states! Thank you for the upload! （＾ω＾）
I wouldn't rinse out the insides of the crab. That's some of the best part.
Jesse Taylor agree
Amen , it was hurting my soul to watch him rinse all that good roe outta the female crabs.
then why sometime is bitter? can you tell ?
@@smithlinda8901 not fresh or dead
She reminds me of my little girl. You have a nice family man. It must be really nice to go out like this. I was a fisherman before I joined the army. Now I'm fully disabled
In Maryland we steam them live they turn red and cover with Old Bay seasoning by McCormicks. Same for shrimp.You can also boil shrimp they will turn pink red add old bay and some steam onion . Heaven
I like the way you prepared it. Very sanitary and user friendly when eating.
Cleaning them prior to cooking washes away all of the flavor, it also makes the crabmeat wet and tasteless . We steam them whole with old bay for optimum sweetness and tenderness.
Mary Ellen Gulotti right that’s how do it in Baltimore, Maryland 💯
Also the crabs decompose to fast and if you kill them before cooking it will ruin the meat
100%your right
I agree! Besides, the orange stuff tastes great!
So true.......what a waste!!!!
enjoyed your video ,looks so yummy
LOVE IT EVERYBODY HAS THERE WAY OF ENJOYING CRAB, EACH TO THERE OWN,
I live in the DC area and am preparing to go crabbing. Was looking for ways to process live blue crabs. You video was an excellent option! Well done!
Boil or steam the whole crabs in salt water is the best way..no need for spices, crab meat by itself is naturally delicious..
eddie tiongson nope
She says wash 🧼 the face papa wash the face!!! Lol 💜 Aww she is so smart and attentive.
That looks delicious! Bravo!
I have never ever ever seen anyone kill a blue crab and then cook it... Though I liked the fact you cleaned them I learned that you DO NOT eat a blue crab if it dies... We steam/cook them live ALWAYS... This is all new to me... 😗 Now, I am seeing you put a whole stick of butter in your boil... 😨... I'll trust you if you say it is good... I may even try one crab for an experimental boil one day just to see if it is... However, I'm originally from Baltimore and you would get put out the city for cooking a blue crab this way... However, thank you for this different point of view on our beloved blue crabs...
He probably eats worms.
Yes I'm from Baltimore and we kicking you out 🤣🤣🤣
Came for the tutorial, stayed for the adorable toddler
Thank you so very much for this informative video; Now, I just need to get the heart up to doing this; Hope I can find an Asian market where I can pick my own crabs..Never cleaned blue crabs before..Looks sooo good, Enjoy as you should!!
😊❤❤❤
This looks so delicious!!!
love crabs so damn goodlove them.
Nice video. But I completely disagree with the statement that it's pointless to select a crab without claws. Backfin meat beats claw meet any day of the week.
Good job. I know your family enjoyed that. Your daughter is so cute.
that looks delicious! thanks for the post!
Thanks for watching!
sorry, I'm from Maryland and I would NEVER ever do it the way he's doing it..... crud! he's taking away the best part of the crab
He must be from Cali??
Agreed
I would agree with you except the fact for me which I'm from South Carolina Goose Creek to be exact not born there. I am very particular about my Seafood it has to be deveined remove lungs remove any anus
@@stevenkelly9731 There is no place called Cali except in a 90's rap star's mind. If you mean the Golden state of California (rapidly turning to crap under this Governor), then no. He is not from California. The license plate on his truck in the garage clearly indicates he is a mid-westerner from Minnesota.
Tango McPhearson he just pissed off every one from md. Double pissed for no old bay.
You've wasted the eggs/roe bro!!! Just wash and steam it!!
Agree with you 💯 the "head fat" is great to!
Seriouslyyyy Lol my heart dropped out my asssss. Those egggs are heavenly! 🤣
Roe is gross.
Great video and looks delicious. Going crabbing
Cleaning was perfect but you prefer boiling to steaming?
I prep them the same exact way, but then I will put about a half inch of oil, a bunch of smashed garlic cloves, and a stick of butter. I sweat the garlic on med/med hi heat, being very careful not to burn the garlic or butter fat. Right before the garlic starts to slightly toast, I add my cleaned crabs, and give the a quick mix in the oil butter garlic (just enough to get them all coated). I then crank the heat up to high, add a few bay leaves and one whole Old Milwaukee beer (don’t ask why Old Milwaukee... I have tried every other beer and you still get good results, but the Old Milwaukee ones always come out so much better. I wouldn’t drink the stuff if I was dying of thirst, but I will use every time in my seafood steaming). The goal is to have the oil hot enough, when you add the beer, for it to really react with the oil and butter, that it causes immediate massive amounts of steam. I then quickly add a heaping handful of Old Bay as well as about 3-4 tablespoons of white vinegar. Give the whole thing a gentle swirl / stir (sometimes a good shake if the lid fits tight enough on the pot I’m using). I then leave covered on high for only 5-7, or until every crab is vibrant red. I then remove from heat, and put the whole pot into a cooler or other tub filled with ice, remove the lid of the crab pot to prevent the condensation from dripping back into the oil and crabs as they cool off. I then take a hearty pinch of fresh, finely chopped, parsley and just toss on top. I give them one more shake/stir and then remove from ice. I then remove all the crabs to a separate serving dish, spoon some of the oil and seasoning mix back on top, squeeze a lemon over top, and add a light coating of old bay on top once again. You can then heat the oil back up, add 1-2 sticks of unsalted butter (the first stick used was salted) and bring back up to a rolling boil. While I was doing all that, I would have another pot of boiling water ready to toss in some homemade linguine. As soon as pasta is almost aldente, I remove with tongs, and transfer into the boiling oil/butter/beer/crab juice, intentionally letting some (not a lot just what is on the quickly strained pasta) of the pasta water go in with the linguine. Let cook for 2 min and remove from heat. Use a serving spoon and fork to twirl a ball of pasta, set in the middle of a larger shallow bowl, and lay my crabs around the side. Hit the whole thing with a little more juice and a quick splash of lemon and a couple pinches of Old Bay.
I promise you, if you have this dish, you will fall in love! Many of my friends and family will always bring me crabs (or really any seafood) and ask me to cook them this way for them. Try it out, let me know what you guys think.
As a former "boil them alive" crab eater all I can say is I am so glad I switched to the clean first method and this video is an excellent tutorial. P.S. I steam or grill rather than boil most of the time
We also use vinegar and or beer to steam them with crab seasoning or old bay
I use beer. Vinegar gives it a tart taste.
I use vinegar AND beer to steam crabs. NOT a drop of water! Any good seafood seasoning like Old Bay. Remember, you are steaming not boiling them so you need a strainer to keep them out of the liquids below.
I'm definitely going to make this.
Nothing should go to waste! Parts of carbs are thrown away!
I❤crab
10:41 Yas! Polish kiełbasa is the best!
someone please teach him Crab 🦀 cooking 101!!!
I agree. I grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. That boil washes off all seasoning. Incorrect!
Thank you for sharing that was pretty awesome
Great video...awesome detail, and great to see the kiddo involved!😉👍
But obviously....the ford's on blocks!😝😂
if i made a video on what not to do when steaming blues, this would be it.
Factz waste of money
literally my thought process
Ahahhaahahhaahahhaah nice
No no no
He's tossing out ALL the flavor of the crab!
Exactly🙆♀️
Man this is how you clean crabs
Great job man 🤗🤗🤗
Julie Cajuste Lmao no this is NOT
@@pat22nasty yeah that's how I clean it but I don't cook it like that
Look delicious, I normally eat steamed crabs but this is worth a try
Did he just hose away the tastiest bit 😳 yikes
I said the same thing 😩🤣 i cringed 🥺😣
Those are my favorite! I was shooketh
IM from MD, This is a FELONY!!
Looks Delicious ... Great tips and video ... Gonna take my two boys Crab hunting
Its called crabbing...😒..not crab hunting.
@@stevenkelly9731
Hey playa ... We can call it whatever we want to ... At the end of the day you know exactly what im trying to say ... Keep ballin playa
when I worked on the high seas on a shrimp boat, and I do mean high. I really liked them when they shed the shell to grow. Of course they call em soft shell crabs but they are delicious. I would wash them leave the legs on give them a light cover of batter and deep fry. They would look like a big spider on the platter. I think I liked soft shell crabs more than shrimp
I'm from Nigeria. I cook my crabs with the shell on, then when eating it, I take out the shell and inedible parts. I'll try your pattern too.
When you use a high pressure hose you actually remove a significant amount of white meat along with the female repro organs. If you use your fingers the cleaning is more precise and you won’t blast away meat and as much of the flavor. A slow stream of water and your fingers will do a much superior job. I prefer to steam with shells on to retain the moisture in the meat. I compare my cooked crab with ANY OTHER cooking method! Cook yours and pick the meat vs mine. 25% more weight ( just white meat only) and flavor when cooked with shells on. 59 years of professional cooking experience!
Hi! My Boyfriend and I are going crabing for the first time to get Blue Crabs in North carolina and we're cooking them at our rental, we didnt realize it didn't have an oven or stove though! It only has a toaster oven and we've never done crabs before. :( can you give us any advice on how to properly clean and cook them in a toaster oven?
I learned from this video, I liked it!
That was an awesome video!!! I'm going to try it. Your daughter was too cute. Actually, I'm going to try and catch them fresh. Thanks again.
if the crabs are not cold and dormant they will bit you. I got bit before on my finger..the sucker wouldn't let my finger go, I thought he was going to break it. I finally got my finger out and he was the first to die..he was delicious along with all the other ones.
Use kitchen tongs
So revenge is sweet
You can mollify it a bit and make it let go by pinching the bottom of back-fin-like its foot. It kind of shocks or paralyzes them.
What a hassle to put the crabs in a plastic bag lol
chakaramaster they sell them by weight so the whole bag has to be weighed.
use paper bag, they cant grab it
It's six am and now I'm hungry! Looks good!
Great video. I’m from Trinidad and a Tobago we call these crab cyric crab. Next time cut them in half so they will all fit in the pot. We curry the crabs and eat it with dumplings. You can google Trinidad curry crab and dumplings it’s delicious. We season it with culantro, garlic, onions, black pepper and if you like spicy you can cook with a scotch bonnet pepper. Enjoy if you try it.
Next time don’t use so much lemons.
ua-cam.com/video/bkbqErbFrdI/v-deo.html