Steamed Blue Crabs

So I just received an economics paper back over the structure of the automobile industry (you’re probably thinking the same thing I’m thinking.) Apparently I have little to no competence when it comes to using commas and probably punctuation in general. Thank the lord they don’t read this blog because it is written by a 5th grader.

The Blue Crab.

Factoids (According to Wiki):

-A crustacean found in the waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Coast of Central America and the Gulf of Mexico

-They pinch really hard. That’s why Trinh stabs them beforehand with a machete.

-They are omnivores.

-The crabs are caught by using a “crab pot.” The crab pot is made out of wire mesh (older designs of wood and wire also exist, as well as all metal varieties) and is cubical in shape. The crab pot usually contains two “entrances” for the crabs that prohibit exit. These are in the form of a tapered aperture that allows the crab to squeeze through in one direction only. A crab pot is baited with any of several types of meat, including bunker, bluefish, chicken or eel and more recently mesh bags filled with razor clams.

-Crabbers sort the crabs into males (“Jimmies”), immature females (“Sallies”), and mature females (“sooks” or “she-crabs”); females bearing eggs are also known as “gravid.”

-Also, Did you know? Female blue crabs mate only once in their lives. I’m a little depressed to hear that.

In this episode today, we are doing a feature on steamed blue crabs with cajun seasoning. It’s not hard at all. In sum, we (as in Trinh) bought the crabs, stabbed and cleaned them, and then steamed them with a little butter and cajun seasoning. I should mention buying blue crabs in an asian market is more like hearing the new gossip around town or meeting a new friend.

The Recipe:

-10 lb. of crab (mind you this is between 3 people)

-a huge dollop of butter (I would say a 3/4 of a cup or more if you love butter)

-2-3 tbs. of cajun seasoning. I use Louisiana Fish Fry Seasoning)

That is pretty much the gist of it.

The Stabbing and The Clipping:

Now the blue crab is vicious if it gets ahold of you with it’s claw. Now see below how Trinh is stabbing them. You want to aim for the middle part of their body where there’s that little triangle. Just stab deep enough until they stop moving, but don’t go all Rambo on them. Secondly, after they’re dead cut off their claws and extra legs. It’s actually quite funny seeing them continue to wiggle without their extremities. Don’t cut their entire leg off, leave about an inch of leg. You’ll get a better picture after viewing the photos.

The Cleaning:

Be sure to scrub all over. You don’t want to be eating delicious crab meat with some weird, grainy fungus. Also, be sure to life that flap at their butt (I have no better way of saying this). Note the 3rd picture below.

Some More Prep Work:

Imagine the 1st photo as a video where the little legs would be wiggling vigorously.

So, put all the crabs in a large pot along with the claws but not the legs. Add the seasoning and the butter. Turn on the heat and be sure to shake the pot from time to time to make sure everything is incorporated.

The Final Product:

Delicious Crab Meat! Serve with some lime juice and S&P. This is fabulosity.

Again this was not difficult at all. Just clean and then pot time. This post makes me feel slightly nostalgic while I’m at school and Trinh is 300 miles away. I think we should pay a little tribute to Trinh. I leave you with an homage. Take care and always eat.

September 11, always remember. Take Care.

-Monrow

A Mini Homage to Trinh:

Look at the beautiful, young, and vibrant girl go.