Question about steaming blue crabs

[doubtfull24]

So we bought some crabs yesterday for my birthday. My husband and I have never steamed our own crabs before. Well we thought we steamed them long enough (45mins) but when we started eating them we noticed a few didn't seem they were fully done. Some still had a little blue on the outside on the belly. So my question is can we re-steam those or should we toss them. Once i noticed they may not have been done I put them in the fridge. I would have just re-steamed them right away but we had already cleaned the pot and it was really late by the time we ate. I hate to waste the crabs as they were expensive but I also don't want to risk anyone getting sick.

 

[Hank]

You're doing it all wrong. Number one, 45 minutes is way too long.

 

[doubtfull24]

We had big steam pots and let the water and beer and apple cider vinegar come to a boil put them in put the lid on and steamed them. Maybe we over filled the pot?

 

[Hank]

We had big steam pots and let the water and beer and apple cider vinegar come to a boil put them in put the lid on and steamed them. Maybe we over filled the pot?

I steam them for 22 minutes. I wouldn't try steaming them again. Just call it a loss.

 

[Gilligan]

You're doing it all wrong. Number one, 45 minutes is way too long.

That ^. I use a regular 1-bushel steamer but the technique and time does not change much for a smaller pot and smaller number of crabs. You bring only put a couple inches of water/beer/vinegar in the bottom of the pot, making sure that you have a couple inches of clear space above that and your bottom spacer. Then bring to as full rolling a boil as you can possibly get..steam should be jumping out all around the lid. My personal rule of thumb for cooking a full bushel is to allow exactly 18 minutes of steam time, from the moment I throw the last crab in and throw the lid on. Takes a few minutes to get a bushel stuffed in the pot so I would guess the average cook time overall at 20-22 minutes.

And there should never be any green showing..properly cooked crabs are nothing but orange and white.

I cooked two bushels last Saturday. MMmmm.

 

[Gilligan]

We had big steam pots and let the water and beer and apple cider vinegar come to a boil put them in put the lid on and steamed them. Maybe we over filled the pot?


View attachment 104191

I've steamed many a crab in exactly that kind of pot..still do when its only a few dozen to do. I think your problem relates to your steam..sounds like there wasn't much of it. That's one reason why the smallest possible amount of water is the best amount..just enough to guarantee the post does not go dry within the 20-minute cooking time.

 

[SoMDGirl42]

That ^. I use a regular 1-bushel steamer but the technique and time does not change much for a smaller pot and smaller number of crabs. You bring only put a couple inches of water/beer/vinegar in the bottom of the pot, making sure that you have a couple inches of clear space above that and your bottom spacer. Then bring to as full rolling a boil as you can possibly get..steam should be jumping out all around the lid. My personal rule of thumb for cooking a full bushel is to allow exactly 18 minutes of steam time, from the moment I throw the last crab in and throw the lid on. Takes a few minutes to get a bushel stuffed in the pot so I would guess the average cook time overall at 20-22 minutes.

And there should never be any green showing..properly cooked crabs are nothing but orange and white.

I cooked two bushels last Saturday. MMmmm.

No spices when steaming? I hate when they just throw old bay on them after they are steamed. It's best to mix your old bay with coarse salt and layer your spices on the crabs as they go in.

 

[Hank]

No spices when steaming? I hate when they just throw old bay on them after they are steamed. It's best to mix your old bay with coarse salt and layer your spices on the crabs as they go in.

J.O. Spice

 

[Gilligan]

No spices when steaming? I hate when they just throw old bay on them after they are steamed. It's best to mix your old bay with coarse salt and layer your spices on the crabs as they go in.

OH heck yeah..I have a "helper" standing by throwing JO in there the whole time I'm loading the crabs in. Probably use a have quart of the stuff for each bushel. I like mine spiced up real good.

 

[doubtfull24]

That ^. I use a regular 1-bushel steamer but the technique and time does not change much for a smaller pot and smaller number of crabs. You bring only put a couple inches of water/beer/vinegar in the bottom of the pot, making sure that you have a couple inches of clear space above that and your bottom spacer. Then bring to as full rolling a boil as you can possibly get..steam should be jumping out all around the lid. My personal rule of thumb for cooking a full bushel is to allow exactly 18 minutes of steam time, from the moment I throw the last crab in and throw the lid on. Takes a few minutes to get a bushel stuffed in the pot so I would guess the average cook time overall at 20-22 minutes.

And there should never be any green showing..properly cooked crabs are nothing but orange and white.

I cooked two bushels last Saturday. MMmmm.

Ok so I guess what we did wrong was having to much liquid in the bottom of the pot. We had it just to the level of the spacer I had asked a few people how to cook them and they said just don't cover the spacer. We didn't want to burn them or the liquid to evaporate to quick. Man this really sucks. It was the first time we have had them this year and first for cooking them. We have about 4 dozen left. We cooked about 3 pots full. I would have been better off buying them cooked and spending a little extra. I am going to go threw them and try and save the ones that look orange and white and toss the others. Thanks for the info!

 

[Vince]

No spices when steaming? I hate when they just throw old bay on them after they are steamed. It's best to mix your old bay with coarse salt and layer your spices on the crabs as they go in.

Vinegar, water, old bay, salt and crushed red pepper.

 

[doubtfull24]

No spices when steaming? I hate when they just throw old bay on them after they are steamed. It's best to mix your old bay with coarse salt and layer your spices on the crabs as they go in.

We bought some crab seasoning from Chesapeake Bounty when we bought the crabs and it was really good! I love Old Bay but loved their seasoning.

 

[SoMDGirl42]

Vinegar, water, old bay, salt and crushed red pepper.

That's how I was raised to season them.

 

[Gilligan]

Pic from last weekend. Gloved individual is putting last of that bushel in to the pot whilst helper keeps throwing in the JO (red plastic cup) dipped from large plastic bag of JO sitting in background on that table. Small child is a spectator.

The crabs we got last weekend were pretty good too..not particularly large for 1s but nice and heavy. What is Chesapeake Bounty charging for their crabs these days?

 

[doubtfull24]

We cooked them on the stove. Chesapeake bounty had the #1 males $220 Bushel or $115 half #2 males $160 -$90 half $24 a dozen. Large females were the same as the #2 males.We ended up getting some # 2 male and large females $24 a dozen and buy 2 dozen get 1 free so we got 6 dozen total. I am so disappointed we messed the crabs up.

 

[Hank]

We ended up getting some large females

 

[doubtfull24]

They said females had more meat? We usually only get males and didn't know the difference. I am never buying or trying to cook crabs again to save money.

 

[MADPEBS1]

you are doing it wrong, Do it the Smith Island way, Rip the shell off, spray and clean out, put into pot top facing down, layering as you put them in,sprinkle with seasoning, Continue to add!!!! The absolute best way to eat crabs, work for sure but the BEST!!!! Putting them in like this does two things, gets the seasoning from water to get into crabs and also helps to drain the light crabs.

 

[Gilligan]

you are doing it wrong, Do it the Smith Island way, Rip the shell off, spray and clean out, put into pot top facing down, layering as you put them in,sprinkle with seasoning, Continue to add!!!! The absolute best way to eat crabs, work for sure but the BEST!!!! Putting them in like this does two things, gets the seasoning from water to get into crabs and also helps to drain the light crabs.

Funny..been cooking crabs, or watching 'em being cooked, in SMC (7D mostly) for longer than I care to admit, including in big 4-bushel "real" steamers, and I've never cooked them the "Smith Island" way nor even had a chance to try any. Sounds most excellent though...

Sounds like a lot of dicey "handling effort" too....none of the ones I throw in the pot would ever sit quietly by whilst I "preclean 'em) like that. Heck, I don't even bother to pierce mine before cookin'; I don't really care if the claws fall off.

 

[Hank]

you are doing it wrong, Do it the Smith Island way, Rip the shell off, spray and clean out, put into pot top facing down, layering as you put them in,sprinkle with seasoning, Continue to add!!!! The absolute best way to eat crabs, work for sure but the BEST!!!! Putting them in like this does two things, gets the seasoning from water to get into crabs and also helps to drain the light crabs.

No way. I like the mustard.