Spider crab ?

**Slinger** · 20-10-2006, 22:33

Hi forum, whats the best way to cook spider crab?
Do I cook them whole, dead or alive, and what size are the best?

I seem to remember reading that you only eat the legs but may be wrong.
Any info please.

Slinger.

**sharpshooter** · 20-10-2006, 22:41

Originally Posted by lead slinger

Hi forum, whats the best way to cook spider crab?
Do I cook them whole, dead or alive, and what size are the best?

I seem to remember reading that you only eat the legs but may be wrong.
Any info please.

Slinger.

The bigger the better. Best meat is in the claws and legs.
Boil em for 20-25mins
You can eat the brown meat inside the body, but thewhite meat is better. Dont eat the 'lungs' no so good for you.
If you cook whole crab, make sure it is alive, or very freshly dead, easy to get food poisening from shellfish.
I hate the stuff, but they say it is sweeter than brown crab.

**Slinger** · 20-10-2006, 23:54

Thanks SS.
Can I just cook the legs or does it have to be the whole crab?

**richierobins** · 21-10-2006, 00:24

Boil for 15 minutes. Don't bother with females; their claws are about as big as your little finger. A large male has plenty of meat in legs and claws. There is plenty of white meat in the cavities of the main body once the legs and claws have been removed. Use a chopstick to hook it out. There is slighty less meat in a spider crab than a brown crab, but the taste is far better. Served cold on home-made bread with loads of butter, it is unbeatable, but it also goes really well in a tomato, onion, basil and garlic sauce with pasta.

**Jamie Donnelly** · 21-10-2006, 14:02

dont cook it dead!!! it must be alive,

just the alive crab in the freezer for 5 mins. it will make it sleep.

boil water and add some salt. when the water is BOILING place the crab in. you may hear a noise from the crab as its shell cracks but hey......

cook for 20 mins. you can eat all the meat in the legs, claws and body. just dont eat the lungs at the front of the head.

as above make a basil tomato sauce and serve with pasta.

Jamie

**jay666** · 21-10-2006, 18:50

Originally Posted by Jamie Donnelly

you may hear a noise from the crab as its shell cracks but hey......

Sounds nice lol

Is it like a squeel?

**Slinger** · 24-10-2006, 19:13

Sounds great Jamie, all I need now is the spiders.

Thanks

Slinger

**slayer** · 03-11-2006, 18:08

i get quite a few in my pots .it dose need to be a real big spider to be worth cooking as the meat is minamal compared to the browns
all i do is place the crab in a soucepan fill with very cold water add some salt and bring to the boil very slowly ,if you dont do this slowly the crab will eather shed its claws or its shell will crack like jamie crab ,wich you dont want as this will allow water to get in the meat,and take away the flaver of the crab,once the water is boiling i alow 15 to 20 min depending on the size of the crab and then drain the water and let the crab stand for one hour then you can then remove the lungs and your crab is ready to pick or fridge, i prefer to fridge it for 24 hours as the meat seems alot easyer to get out,
ps i would never ever cook a dead crab , your just asking for trouble,