Steamed crabs are a popular seafood dish on the east coast of the United States. They are cooked in spicy seasonings and served with vinegar or melted butter. Diners use a wooden hammer and knife to extract the meat. The process can be messy, but enjoyable.
Steamed crabs are a popular seafood dish, particularly along the east coast of the United States. Those wishing to try this dish can visit a crab house or restaurant that specializes in this type of food, or go out on the water and catch their own crabs. Some shops also sell steamed crabs by the dozen for customers to enjoy backyard picnics or barbecues. These hard-shelled crustaceans are often cooked in spicy seasonings, which complement the sweet flavor of the crabmeat. Gathering meat from steamed crabs is time-consuming, but can be a fun event that can last for several hours.
To make steamed crabs, chefs boil water in a large pot or steam it. Many add vinegar or even beer to the mix, then season the liquid with some special seafood seasoning. Live crabs are added to boiling water, then covered to prevent the crabs from escaping as they cook. The crabs change color from blue to orange, indicating they are ready to eat.
The steamed crabs are seasoned with another generous helping of dry spices before being served hot. Diners can enjoy dipping the crab in a vial of vinegar or a container of melted butter. A wooden hammer, or crab mallet, is needed to crack the hard shell and a plastic or metal knife is used to extract the flesh.
Most people serve steamed crabs on a protective surface to help control the mess created by the seasonings and crab shells. Crab house tables are covered in newsprint or brown paper, and diners are given plenty of napkins. A large bowl or bucket is placed on the table to collect shells and scraps.
People who have never had steamed crabs often need a little coaching in figuring out how to access the meat. Diners begin by pulling their little legs apart in a twisting motion. These legs typically contain little meat and are usually discarded immediately. The larger front claws can also be extracted from the body and hammered open to access the claw meat. This meat is generally of a lower quality than the meat found in the crab’s body, and some diners prefer not to eat it.
Next, diners turn the crab’s body around to find the apron, a small triangular section along the crab’s “belly.” By inserting the tip of a knife under the apron, you can remove this apron and separate the body into two halves. The top half of the shell is discarded, along with the gills, intestines and yellow digestive material, which may be referred to as mustard greens. After these items are gone, it is easy to use a knife or your fingers to take out the crabmeat.
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