Steamed Snow Crab
contributed by Bauhaus
The Recipe
Snow crab is a yummy animal contained within a protective
case. It's not as good as king crab, but comes pretty close
and tends to cost about half as much round these parts.
I think it tastes way better'n all smaller crabs.
You should be able to get em at yr local hugeass grocery
store. Go ahead and buy the frozen stuff - I think any "fresh"
snow crab or king crab is just defrosted. They live in cold
parts anyway, they're practically frozen when they're caught.
I think every time I bought em they were frozen and pre-cooked.
Don't think I've seen them any other way. I buy
about a pound per person, assuming the people who're eating
have average appetites. If it's just me, I might need
a pound and a half. Expect to pay between 5 and 8 bucks for
a pound.
When you pick the crab, go for the biggest legs you can
find. The legs with the claw aren't as good as the regular
straight legs.
You'll also need some butter, and something on the side.
I prefer either corn on the cob or a loaf of italian bread.
Cookin the crab is easy. It's best if you have a steamer, but
if you don't you can just boil 'em in a stock pot. If you have
a steamer, steam the frozen crab in the steamer until they're hot.
How long this takes depends on your steamer. It takes me
mebbe 15 minutes. If you're boiling, fill the pot with water
but you don't have to drown the legs. Boiling is a little
faster than steaming but some of the flavor gets lost in the water.
When they're done, leave the legs in the pot/steamer to keep
'em hot. Put some butter (half a stick per person?) in mebbe
the smallest saucepan you have and heat it til it bubbles.
The butter is for dipping.
Serve the legs one cluster at a time, keeping the rest
in the pot/steamer to keep them hot. The butter should be
kept hot as well, either on a portable burner or held on a
wire platform above a candle or lamp.
Oh, some people use a nutcracker to open the crab, some use a
knife, some use hands only. Don't eat the cartilage-like "bones".
You should eat the meat from the body too, but it's not as good
as the longest legs. Some of the crab you eat may have a faint
(or strong) odor of ammonia. This is not poisonous or anything,
it'll evaporate. It's a natural product of the crab.
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