Question about crabs

D

dems4me

Guest
How come some crabs have the yellow mustard and others have green or gray .... the green or gray smells different... is it still healthy to eat? :shrug: also I notice this on the crabs that have the underside where it should be white, its red scorched or something :confused:
 
D

dems4me

Guest
Originally posted by sifl
Sometimes they die before they get cooked. Days before.

I had ordered them to be live and made it clear twice... they steamed them anyways... I paid 2.00 per crab and asked for large males... these crabs were no more than 4 1/2 inches from point to point which is illegal to catch for your average recreational crabber... is it the same for commercial crabbers? I was really mad and then to find out some of the crabs were green, or grey... does that mean that they have been dead for several days? The ones with the bright yellow (not that I eat it) taste better and are more sweet, the ones with green and gray smell a little funky or something and tastes really powdery or papery :shrug: Thanks for you response !!!! :biggrin:
 
K

Kain99

Guest
I aways thought the green or gray mustard was a sign of overcooking but I really am not totally certain.
 
K

Kain99

Guest
Something yummy....


Hot Crab Dip

1 lb. crabmeat
1/2 pint sour cream
3 Tblsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, grated (use 1/4 in mix and 1/4 on top)
2 ( 8 0z. ) pkg. cream cheese (at room temp.)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Old Bay
2 Tblsp. horseradish

Mix all ingredients together. Sprinkle cheese on top. Cover with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees until crusty and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.
 

CMC122

Go Braves!
Originally posted by Kain99
Something yummy....


Hot Crab Dip

My crab dip is quite similiar to that. The friends tear it up in no time.

It goes great with homemade tortilla chips:yum:
 

pixiegirl

Cleopatra Jones
We got crabs last weekend from Grinders in Indian Head. Regular males, cooked. they were only $44 for 2 dozen and they were Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm good. Good sized, good service and close to home. We're going back this weekend.
 

CMC122

Go Braves!
We're gonna pick some crabs up this weekend too. Only the Drift Inn crabs for me though. I love their seasoning.
 
K

Kain99

Guest
I Love Crabs

What is the yellow stuff inside a cooked crab? Some people call it "mustard." Is it fat?

A: Contrary to popular belief, the "mustard" (or the "green gland" or "tomalley") is not fat, it's actually the crab's hepatopancreas, a main component of the crab's digestive system.

The hepatopancreas is a gland made up of very small branched tubes (ramified tubules) located on both sides of the mid-gut in the main body cavity directly under the top shell and functions as both liver and pancreas. It is involved in producing digestive enzymes and is responsible for filtering impurities from the crab's blood.

The "mustard" has a strong taste and is eaten by many people who consider it a delicacy.

Caution: 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. The contaminants, which are colorless, odorless and tasteless, and can increase one's chance of developing cancer, neurological impairments and miscarriage. Women of child-bearing age and children under the age of 5 are at particular risk.

http://www.blue-crab.org/cooking_faq.htm
 

Toxick

Splat
Re: I Love Crabs

Originally posted by Kain99
What is the yellow stuff inside a cooked crab? Some people call it "mustard." Is it fat?

A: Contrary to popular belief, the "mustard" (or the "green gland" or "tomalley") is not fat, it's actually the crab's hepatopancreas, a main component of the crab's digestive system.


I was always under the impression that the mustard was actually digested food.

In other words crab-pewp.


That's why I've never eaten that nasty ####.
 
D

dems4me

Guest
Re: I Love Crabs

Originally posted by Kain99
What is the yellow stuff inside a cooked crab? Some people call it "mustard." Is it fat?

A: Contrary to popular belief, the "mustard" (or the "green gland" or "tomalley") is not fat, it's actually the crab's hepatopancreas, a main component of the crab's digestive system.

The hepatopancreas is a gland made up of very small branched tubes (ramified tubules) located on both sides of the mid-gut in the main body cavity directly under the top shell and functions as both liver and pancreas. It is involved in producing digestive enzymes and is responsible for filtering impurities from the crab's blood.

The "mustard" has a strong taste and is eaten by many people who consider it a delicacy.

Caution: 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. The contaminants, which are colorless, odorless and tasteless, and can increase one's chance of developing cancer, neurological impairments and miscarriage. Women of child-bearing age and children under the age of 5 are at particular risk.

http://www.blue-crab.org/cooking_faq.htm



Thanks Kain but what makes it turn green or gray??? Is it still healthy??? :shrug: Maybe I should try it out on some folks and see.... any one interested in a crab fest at my house??:biggrin:
 

Vince

......
They are not supposed to cook a crab if it's dead. You don't know how long it's been dead. That's why you should buy them live and steam them yourself. If you find any dead ones in the bushel, sh!tcan them. Another way to tell is if they have an amonia smell to them before you cook them (if they're dead that is). If you're gonna get them cooked, get them from a trusted source. :biggrin:
 
D

dems4me

Guest
Originally posted by Vince
They are not supposed to cook a crab if it's dead. You don't know how long it's been dead. That's why you should buy them live and steam them yourself. If you find any dead ones in the bushel, sh!tcan them. Another way to tell is if they have an amonia smell to them before you cook them (if they're dead that is). If you're gonna get them cooked, get them from a trusted source. :biggrin:

I asked for Live crabs and they even came back out confirming yet again did we want these live or steamed... again I said live please. Then they handed us a box of steamed crabs... don't know how long any of them had been dead? I thought they just took the live ones and cooked them... the wait was long enough to have cooked them. Does the color of the mustard reflect how long the crab has been dead :confused:
 

sleuth

Livin' Like Thanksgivin'
Originally posted by dems4me
I asked for Live crabs and they even came back out confirming yet again did we want these live or steamed... again I said live please. Then they handed us a box of steamed crabs...

And you didn't think to hand the box back to them and say... "no, I said live crabs." :confused:
 

Vince

......
Originally posted by dems4me
Does the color of the mustard reflect how long the crab has been dead :confused:
Don't think I've ever paid attention to it after I cooked them. I know it's yellow before I cook them because I use peelers for fish bait and when you open them up the mustard is yellow.
 
D

dems4me

Guest
Originally posted by sleuth
And you didn't think to hand the box back to them and say... "no, I said live crabs." :confused:

No I didn't want to cause any trouble. It had been one thing if we asked for steamed and they gave it to us live, but there was no way to bring them back to life for us again, and I didn't want to be one to complain - and it did save me some time in cooking them, but then when we were away and I saw the size of those dinks I was furious!!:burning: Don't the commercial crabbers have to follow the same size limits as the recreational crabber:confused: Next week, I'm catching my own like I did last year.:smile:
 
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dems4me said:
How come some crabs have the yellow mustard and others have green or gray .... the green or gray smells different... is it still healthy to eat? :shrug: also I notice this on the crabs that have the underside where it should be white, its red scorched or something :confused:
I love your crab threads, dems...:lol:
 
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