HOW TO THROW A CRAB FEED...
December, 2010
DUNGENESS CRAB SEASON HAS BEGUN IN OREGON!
My hands-down favorite approach to enjoying this succulent winter specialty is fresh from a crab pot. If you’ve never thrown your own crab feed, then it’s time you did. Here are the logistics:
BUY THE FRESHEST CRAB YOU CAN. THAT MEANS LIVE CRAB: First of all, when it comes to obtaining live crab, whether you head down to the docks of your nearest port on the west coast (for Corvallis-area dwellers, that would be either Waldport or Newport) or seek it out closer to home, don’t forget to bring along a cooler or really sturdy box.
Once home, as long as they’re kept well-chilled (and out of melting ice, because they’ll drown), Dungeness crabs will stay lively for many hours. My niece and her boyfriend took four crabs along on their 28 hour road trip from Corvallis to Salt Lake City one January, and the crabs were still frisky at journey’s end.
THE NUMBER ONE BEST WAY TO BUY CRAB: Dungeness crab is never better than when it has just come from the sea. A live crab fresh from its habitat is in the ideal state for cooking. Short of those circumstances, all crab buying, cooking and eating involve some compromise. Which leads to...
THE SECOND BEST WAY TO BUY CRAB: Buying crabs kept alive in water tanks is a close second. Perhaps you’ve got a high-quality fish market in your town where such a tank resides. Since this is an extremely popular time of year for crab feeds, it’s always a good idea to phone ahead and place your order or to at least check and see how their supply is holding up. If you fancy a trip to the coast, then drop by your favorite bay front where the crabbing ships are dropping off their loads.
THE THIRD BEST WAY TO BUY CRAB: Cooked crab is your final option, but it’s a frustrating one because you can get burned from a quality point of view if the crabs aren’t fresh. I steer clear of places that can’t tell you where - or even when! - their cooked crabs were cooked. When buying cooked crab, don’t be shy. Smell it! There should not be a pronounced fishy odor.
COOKING LIVE CRAB FOR A CRAB FEED: You’ll need a very large pot. One that will hold the number of crabs you’re cooking comfortably, with plenty of water to circulate around them during cooking. Add about a 1/2 cup of salt (you want a moderately salty solution; saltier than cooking pasta, for example). Bring the water to a boil before adding the crab. The most humane approach is to drop the live crabs into the boiling salted water. Start timing the cooking process once the water returns to a boil. Cook just a few minutes beyond the point when the shells turn bright orange, which will take about 10 to 15 minutes. If the crabs are over 2 pounds each, add about 5 minutes to the boiling time. You don’t want to over-cook crab or it becomes dry and stringy.
After cooking, remove the crabs from the pot and let them cool until they can be handled comfortably.
Once the crabs have cooked, remove them from the water and cool slightly until they can be handled. First pull all of the legs from the main body. Then clean the crabs by removing the back shell off the main body, rinse out the viscera and pull off the gill filaments (these will be very obvious to you when you get around to doing it). There’s a lot of meat in the body. We break the bodies in half so each person gets to enjoy at least one portion.
Now go to work on the legs: using anything that can be viewed as a kitchen mallet - such as a metal ice cracker or meat tenderizer, or even a rolling pin - whack the crab legs in several spots to loosen the shells for easy removal of the meat. Pile the cracked legs and bodies into big bowls, set them on the table, along with melted butter and fresh lemons, and a big ol' tossed green salad with a side of Louis Dressing (recipe follows), and let friends and family have at it. For the uninitiated, demonstrate to them how the pointy end of a claw can be used to pry crab meat from the far reaches of legs and body cavities.
YET-ANOTHER APPROACH: Buy your crabs already cooked. Most fish markets offer this option. Just make sure it was cooked on the same day of purchase so you can enjoy the freshest and sweetest flavor.
HOW MANY PEOPLE PER CRAB? The general rule around our house is two people per crab, unless the crab is smaller than 1-1/2 pounds, at which point, you should play it safe and have one crab per person. Plus, for groups larger than four, I always throw in one extra crab "for the pot."
Classic Louis Dressing
If you're going to have a crab feed, then you've got to have Louis Dressing. Set it out alongside a big ol' tossed green salad so folks can mingle it with their crab, along with melted butter and fresh lemon juice, of course.
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chili sauce (it's like ketchup, only spicier)
2 tablespoons finely chopped green or red sweet bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 hard-cooked egg, finely chopped
In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and chili sauce. Add the peppers, onion, parsley, cayenne, Worcestershire, horseradish, and chopped egg. Blend this mixture thoroughly and then taste to determine if it needs additional chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or horseradish. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week. If the dressing seems a bit thick, you can stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk. Makes about 1-1/2 cups.
Buttery Cocktail Sauce
A delicious combination. The butter tames the zesty cocktail sauce, which makes it a much more compatible and subtle partner to our fabulous Dungeness crab.
2 cups seafood cocktail sauce
1/2 cup (1 cube) butter
Combine the cocktail sauce and butter in a small saucepan (or microwaveable container), and heat through over medium-high heat (or in the microwave) until the butter has melted and the sauce is hot. Whisk to combine the butter more thoroughly into the cocktail sauce. Serve while hot. Makes 2-1/2 cups.
Creamy Crab Dipping Sauce
This makes enough sauce for 3 large Dungeness crabs.
1 cup coarsely chopped green onions (all of the white and pale green portions)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
2 cups Mayonnaise
1 to 3 large (about 2 pounds or greater) whole Dungeness crabs, cooked, cleaned, and cracked
Place all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and chill thoroughly. Serve alongside the prepared crab. Makes about 3 cups of sauce.
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