I got crabs on my mind.
So here’s a clip of something I wrote for Borough Market.
Click on the link at the end to see the rest of the article, including instructions for killing, cooking and picking a crab. Which is something everyone should do, even if it’s just to appreciate the convenience of buying pre-prepared meat.
“A quick straw poll of the room I’m in concluded that the stall most likely to be looked at in wonder, but rarely bought from, is the fishmonger’s.
That I’m the only person in the room is particularly telling – I’ve spent weeks and weeks scaling, gutting and filleting fish and cracking open seafood, yet still don’t buy enough of the stuff. And of all the things I nearly buy but don’t, the crab is the one I wished I got my wallet out for more often.
The Challenge
I think crabs are a superb example of daunting market ingredients that, actually, everyone should have a go at buying and cooking. There are a number of reasons for this:
- Go along to Furness Fish and Game stall the middle of the Market and see how the crabs sit … and shuffle in the display. This is as fresh as you can get – i.e. alive!
- Right now British crabs are very in season.
- Crabs are easy to cook. Just plop in a stock pot (see finer details below) for about 20 minutes. Et voila.
- They’re also a bit of a fiddle to then get the goods out of. But it’s more time consuming than difficult and, importantly, great challenges come with great rewards; I always think you enjoy and appreciate food most when you’ve worked for it.
- Buying, cooking and picking your own crab, is a great way of understanding the value of the pots of prepared meat on the counter. It’s definitely cheaper and more fun to get a whole crab. But once you’ve done so, you also appreciate that for the prepared pots, some poor soul has had to pick all that lovely meat. Their time and your time is valuable!
Really, you should give it a go. There are few things more satisfying and educational than getting to the end of a battle with a crab and its claws …”
Click here to read the rest of the post on the Borough Market website.
Great post. I adore crab but have to admit I tend to buy it pre-prepared.
Can’t trust them. Shifty eyes, walk with a sideways shuffle, lurk in dark corners. Very much the hoodies of the ocean.
Bought a live crab, cooked it, picked it. Once, never again. It was enormous and took me hours and broke my back for days.
Much more willing to pay for well-picked fresh crab, ever since.
Ed, I grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, USA and crabbed all my life for Blue Crabs, a bit different from Stone Crabs, or is it “stoned crabs” who smoked too much pot before they went in the pot? Either way, it is a bit like being boiled in oil for the crab.
First you take an old piece of raw chicken neck, tie it in a crab net or place it and several other smelly chicken parts in a wire mesh trap and hope for the best. Which is usually not far behind.
Once caught, the live crab is delivered into boiling water, unceremoniously, which has been seasoned with crab boil…go figure. This crab boil spice mixture is essential in opening your sinuses and your appetite. Of course, you can make your own with garlic, cayenne pepper, lemon, salt, black pepper, dill, rosemary, basil, peppercorns, and the kitchen sink.
I can remember my mother, aunts, grandmothers, all of whom delighted in picking the meat out of crab, with the orange eggs of the female being a delicacy. As for me, I liked the claw meat best, until I developed a seafood allergy at 40. I can still see the crab down below sticking pins in a voodoo doll bearing my name.
If you want to make something wonderful, layer in a parfait fashion a slab of snapper or thick fish well seasoned with crab, then fish, then sautéed butterflied shrimp, fish, crab and serve hot accompanied with a cold chipotle black bean relish. now that’s fun! Oh, and one must serve a Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio, as it is the only wine for seafood.
Well, I’m off to have a hot dog! Cheers!
Got crabs, eh?
I love crab, Devon Crab is very good. Dorset is stronger in flavour Cornish are sweeter/cleaner. Devon is in-between. I would think Scottish is best, The Lobster, Langoustine certainly is. I see Tesco have Orkney Crabs, in the freezer .We have the best fishmonger in Devon, on our doorstep, so no chance of Tesco’s ever getting my custom. http://www.ivybridgefishcompany.co.uk/
That last paragraph shows how opinionated I am.
Crab Stock; don’t forget that, the bits you can’t quiet pick out and the shell. Crab stock, reduced down finished with butter, some tarragon perhaps? This really elevates a piece of fried fish. I used it with Pollock last time, superb result. The stock also makes a great risotto. Gordon Ramsay is the master of stocks in my opinion. Possibly his secrets book has shellfish stock in it. His fish stock from this book is superb.
Last time I put down a trap, t I could not make the next low tide, it was stolen.
Perhaps I try (easy to catch) Shore crab Bisque, the French are big fans of this, have you or anyone you know ever tried it? Spider crab makes a great soup. Mark Hix’s Spider crab and sea beet soup, is well worth trying
Great topic glad you posted it
Last year I bought a crap from a post office for £4 it was very good and a fair size, that was weird. Thats Devon for you.
Last year I bought a crab from a post office for £4 it was very good and a fair size, that was weird. Thats Devon for you.
Goose, you’re a hero!
Thank you