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BLUE CRABS - Part 1
by Ernie Sears
There are
very few foods that require more work for so little meat than the blue
crab. It is also true that there are few foods that have as passionate
following as blue crabs. Crabs still in the shell in general are not the
easiest foods to eat, but the blue crab requires time, effort, and a
little practice to get about 2 ounces of meat from the average crab.
Cooked
crabs often sell for $2.50 or more each, so a pound of crab meat will cost
you about $20 if you pick it yourself! That’s about the cost of a pound of
premium jumbo lump backfin crabmeat. So why do so many people still buy
crabs by the dozen, spread them out on layers of newspaper and pick away
until they have spicy juice running down their elbows? Because for some of
us it’s more than food – it is a great food experience which makes them
taste better.
There are
several strong opposing opinions on the right way to cook and eat these
strange looking creatures. But regardless of how you cook them, they are
worth the effort.
Selection
and Storage
There is
no difference of opinion on the first rule of buying and storing crabs.
Your crabs must be alive up to the time that you’re ready to cook them. I
know that they’re expensive, but there’s no exception to the rule – do not
cook dead crabs unless you kill them yourself just before cooking.
Crabs are
generally sold by the dozen or bushel, although most crab shacks will sell
you as few as a single crab (maybe with a “are you kidding me?” smile).
Crabbing is a regulated industry. Crabbers are limited in the size and
type of crab that they can keep and the amount that they catch. Crabs are
graded by sex and by size.
The sex of
the blue crab can be determined by turning it over and observing its apron
– a segment of the bottom shell that starts where the top shell meets the
bottom shell on the back of the crab. Most prized for eating are the male
crabs or Jimmies. They are easily recognized by the inverted “T” shaped
apron on their bottom shell. In addition, their claws are tipped in blue.
Immature females are called Sallys. Their apron is triangular shaped and
their claws are tipped in red. Mature females are called Sooks. Their
apron is bell shaped and their claws are also tipped in red.
Sallys
must always be returned to the water when caught to help ensure that they
have a chance to spawn. Sooks have mated, but may not have released her
eggs yet. So while it is legal to keep Sooks, it probably best to release
them as well.
Crabs are
measured across the top shell from point to point. Size classification is
generally not regulated. A large crab from the northern Chesapeake Bay may
be graded as a medium in another area. There is even disagreement over the
names of the different grades. Very large crabs may be called Colossal,
Jumbo, or Whales. Large crabs may be called Large, Number Ones, Primes and
other names. You need to ask the seller how the sizes are graded.
If that’s
not enough, there is another thing you need to know when buying crabs.
Crabs shed or molt their shell as they grow. Recently molted crabs will be
light because the crab hasn’t had time to fill out his new suit of armor.
These newly molted crabs are called various names including “whiteys”.
This name comes from the whiteness of the bellies of these crabs. When
cooked whiteys will fill with water and have very little meat in them. The
best crabs are the large Jimmies with stained bellies.
After
selecting your crabs you need to get them home and cooked as soon as
possible. If the trip home is short, then you can transport them in a
brown paper bad or covered basket. For longer trips and when the outside
temperatures are very high, use a cooler with a layer of ice on the
bottom. Keep the crabs out of the melting ice water as they may drown.
Never transport or store craps in a container of water. They will quickly
use all of the oxygen and suffocate.
Once home
crabs will usually stay alive for several days if they are kept cool (50ºF
is ideal) and moist. Most refrigerators are set at 40ºF or cooler so while
the crabs will survive for a while, but they will die if kept too long. If
you live on salt water or brackish waterfront then you can keep the craps
alive in a float for longer periods, but you must feed them occasionally.
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