How and how much to cook crabs?

Crab can be boiled whole or cut. The cutting process is carried out by tearing off the claws and extracting the meat and entrails from the belly of the seafood in the form of mucus. The claws of the crab are easily opened with a knife, after which the meat is pulled out of them. Cut crab cooks much faster than whole crab.

The nuances of boiling crab in a regular saucepan:

• the readiness of the crab can be recognized by the change in the color of its shell (the color turns red);
• The most common additions used in crab cooking are bay leaves, lemon juice, garlic, pepper, and cloves (salt is added as in other foods);
• it is necessary to lay crabs only in boiling water (salt and spices must be added to the liquid beforehand);
• it is not recommended to cook the crab for longer than the standard time (otherwise the meat will acquire a rubbery structure);
• it is recommended to cook crabs using sea water (if this is not possible, then you can replace the usual salt with the sea version);
• if the crab was boiled whole, then it is better to wait for the moment of cooling by placing it with its belly up (this way the juiciness of the crab will be better preserved);
• the amount of water when boiling a crab plays a special role, the liquid must be taken in the proportion “for 500 g of crab – 2.5 liters of water” (it is not recommended to add water after boiling, therefore it is better to initially prepare the required amount of liquid);
• cut crab can be cooked in the microwave, pressure cooker, double boiler or multicooker.

You can steam crab not only in a double boiler, but using a regular saucepan and a metal colander. Pour water into the pan so that its surface barely touches the bottom of the colander. The crab is laid out in a colander and then placed in a saucepan. In this design, the crab is cooked quickly, and the final dish turns out to be juicy and tender. In this case, spices and salt must be added to the water. The readiness of seafood can be determined by the appearance of a rich aroma and red color of the shell.

Microwave crab:

• before boiling the crab in the microwave, its surface must be abundantly moistened with water so that steam is generated during the cooking process (this is done with a damp towel, the crab must be wrapped and slightly squeezed in a damp cloth several times);
• before placing in the microwave, each part of the crab must be wrapped in plastic wrap;
• it will not work to cook the crab as a whole using a microwave; this method is suitable for cooking its individual parts;
• a rich aroma will signal the readiness of the crab (the microwave timer must be set for 2-3 minutes, and if necessary, repeat the cooking process);
• If crab is placed in the microwave without plastic wrap, it can explode.

How many crabs to cook

The cooking time of the crab depends primarily on its size. Crabs up to 1,5 kg are cooked for 20-25 minutes, individuals over 1,5 kg reach readiness in 30-40 minutes. The cooking time starts from the moment the water boils.

Crab meat (store bought or extracted from the crab yourself) is cooked for 10-15 minutes. The longer it takes to cook, the more its taste characteristics will be violated. With prolonged boiling, it will become tough and resemble rubber in consistency.

Cooking time for crab, depending on the method:

• in a double boiler, small crabs reach readiness within 15-20 minutes, and separate parts of it must be cooked for 5-7 minutes;
• the total cooking time for individual parts of the crab in the microwave will be 5-7 minutes;
• in a pressure cooker and a slow cooker, the crab is cooked for 15-20 minutes.

Before cooking frozen crab, be sure to defrost it. This can be done quickly with plain cold water. If you rinse the crab under the tap, it will defrost within a few minutes.