brown crabs

[littlebabybird]

hi every one. got a nice brown crab tonight, any one have any first hand idea how to kill it?

[Jamie Donnelly]

yep, put it in boiling water, dont kill it then cook it!!

its the only way to do it.

Jamie

[slayer]

noo dont kill it first
if you look there a thread on hear about spider crabs, thers a post on it by myself just follow what i say on that post and your do just fine

[martinw]

If you are a bit sensitive then you can put it in the fridge for an hour so that it goes comatose, then straight into boiling water. Personally i wouldn't bother.

[sharpshooter]

To kill the crab before you cook it. stick a knife in its mouth and push it in hard. Then chuck it in boiling water straight away.
The boiling water will kill it very quickly anyway; so no great need to kill it first.
Thats the way pro. chefs do it anyway.


SS

[lobsterkid]

To kill the crab before you cook it. stick a knife in its mouth and push it in hard. Then chuck it in boiling water straight away.
The boiling water will kill it very quickly anyway; so no great need to kill it first.
Thats the way pro. chefs do it anyway.


SS

:) Was just about to post a similar answer. Most fish mongers do it this way. If you boil the crab when it is dead it stops them casting off there legs and claws when they hit the boiling water. Means they can sell them whole without any bits missing.:)

[ringer]

lobsters should be boiled alive and crabs when dead otherwise they will throw their claws and legs.to kill a crab spit onto its mouth then leave it on its back for a while.

[solehunter]

Just boil enough water........chuck it in , once back to the boil, leave for 10/15 mins. Job done!
Same goes for any large shellfish!

[Robski]

i always put crabs and lobsters in fridge/ freezer first for hour or two then straight into boiling water. apparently putting in the cold it puts em into a hibernation'type' state where everything closes down.bit more humain i guess.

[findus]

:) A crab fisherman once told me to put live crab in bucket of fresh water, that way it purges itself clean from mud,sand etc.
He said to leave crab in water until almost dead(apparently from drowning) then remove and boil accordingly.
also heard that a sharp needle between the eyes kills it quickly prior to boiling.

[Kelpdog]

I have a couple of pots that I use when I go to Lochinver on holiday each year
and have great results one pot had 12 large brown crabs in it last year
I have always had problems when cooking the crabs all the meat turing to mush etc
but last year I met an old boy from the east coast of England and he taught me how he does it and since then every crab I have cooked was perfect
first drown your crab in fresh water ie put in a pot of cold water with lid on this will take about an hour or so
then place in a pot of boiling water for about 10 mins
adjusting time depending on size
when you take the crab from the pot use a large knife pushed between the eyes and insert to the depth of about 1/2 an inch
then sit crab with eyes touching the ground to drain until crab is cold to touch
once this has been completed dress in the usual manor
good luck

[Salar]

It is humane to kill crabs first, the official way is to poke a skewer or bradawl into the body from the underside at the top point of the triangle-shaped shell thingy underneath. Then poke between the eyes. When stabbing, poke around a bit as well. That zaps both parts of the central nervous system and the crab will go all limp and dead. (As described in "North Atlantic Seafood" - a great book).

[Mike.Q]

I think you are all very sadistic on here :bangin: :crazy: :black_eye ,why bother to poke it in the belly or eye,when you are going to eat the thing anyway.Just plonk it in the water,boil it,and eat the bugger.:icecream:
Job done.:)

[trev]

I have a couple of pots that I use when I go to Lochinver on holiday each year
and have great results one pot had 12 large brown crabs in it last year
I have always had problems when cooking the crabs all the meat turing to mush etc
but last year I met an old boy from the east coast of England and he taught me how he does it and since then every crab I have cooked was perfect
first drown your crab in fresh water ie put in a pot of cold water with lid on this will take about an hour or so
then place in a pot of boiling water for about 10 mins
adjusting time depending on size
when you take the crab from the pot use a large knife pushed between the eyes and insert to the depth of about 1/2 an inch
then sit crab with eyes touching the ground to drain until crab is cold to touch
once this has been completed dress in the usual manor
good luck

thats the way to cook a crab. dad was a fisherman, and he always drowned his crabs in fresh water first.

[chappers]

Purely from a culinary point of view you should kill a crab first before cooking.
Firstly crabs are prone to shedding claws and legs when plunged into boiling water and secondly and more importantly the flesh tenses when plunged in boiling water and is nowhere near as tender than if cooked when dead.
The best method is as salar describes stab just above the tailflap with a screwdriver and then move the point forward to between the eyes this takes out the whole central nervous system in one fell swoop, done properly the crab should go limp pretty instantly.
Lobsters are a different matter and dont have a distinct nervous system, the best way is to put them in cold water and bring to the boil.

[smoothound56]

Purely from a culinary point of view you should kill a crab first before cooking.
Firstly crabs are prone to shedding claws and legs when plunged into boiling water and secondly and more importantly the flesh tenses when plunged in boiling water and is nowhere near as tender than if cooked when dead.
The best method is as salar describes stab just above the tailflap with a screwdriver and then move the point forward to between the eyes this takes out the whole central nervous system in one fell swoop, done properly the crab should go limp pretty instantly.
Lobsters are a different matter and dont have a distinct nervous system, the best way is to put them in cold water and bring to the boil.

i have been doing it this way for the past couple of years, as you insert the point, just move it back and forth sharply a couple of times and job done, not only does it prevent the claws from dropping off but after cooking it helps drain any excess fluids from the crab
enjoy

Marv