There are many ways to cook crab, including boiling, steaming, baking and grilling. We will explain these with their respective cooking time (and cooking temperature) of course! Translation in French: crabe.
Crab
How do I cook crab?
- Preparing crab
- Cooking crab in a pot
- Cooking crab with a steamer
- Cooking crab in an oven
- Cooking crab on a grill
What to pair crab with?
Crab pairs well with lemon, garlic, herbs, and butter. Serve crab with sweet corn, coleslaw or baked potatoes.You can also use crab meat to prepare crab cakes, crab salad or crab bisque.
Cooking shellfish & seafood: clams, crab, crayfish, lobster, mussels, octopus, oysters, prawn, scallops, shrimp, squid...
Preparing crab
To prepare fresh, live crabs, you’ll need to first clean them. This involves removing the apron, which is the small, pointed flap on the underside of the crab, as well as the gills and other organs. Once cleaned, you can boil the crab whole or cook it another way (see below).
Cook crab in pot
Cooking crab in a pot. Boiling crab is the main way to cook it.
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the crabs.
2. Boil for approximately 10-12 minutes for a 1-2 pound crab.
3. Turn off the heat and leave the crabs in water in the covered pot for an extra 10 minutes.
Steamed crab
You can also cook crab with a steamer:
1. Place the crabs in a steamer basket
2. Steam for approximately 15-20 minutes for a 1-2 pound crab.
Baked crab
Cooking crab in an oven. Baking crab is not super common but the result is super tasty!
1. Place the crab in a baking dish and brush with melted butter or oil.
2. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for approximately 20-25 minutes.
Grill crab
Cooking crab on a grill. Another great way to cook crab is to grill it
1. Brush the crab with oil or butter
2. Grill over medium heat for approximately 5-7 minutes per side.
Crab is a crustacean from the Brachyura order. There are thousands of species of crab. The most popular types of crab used in cooking are blue crab, king crab, snow crab, and Dungeness crab.
Crab can be purchased fresh, frozen or canned at most supermarkets. Fresh, live crabs are often available, and they can be cooked and eaten whole. However, if you’re not comfortable handling live crabs, you can also find them pre-cooked and sold either as whole crabs or in sections of meat. Canned crab meat is also available, but it’s typically not as flavorful as fresh or frozen crab.