Classic Maryland Crab Feast Recipes

MARYLAND CRAB SOUP

Steps:

• Place whole tomatoes, water, lima beans, corn, sliced carrots, chopped onion, Old Bay seasoning, and beef broth, in a 4 quart pot. Heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
• Bring 1 gallon water to boil. Add crab claws and boil 6 minutes. Drain crab and set aside
• Stir crabmeat (and crabs claws, if desired) into tomato and vegetable mixture. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes longer. Serve hot.

STEAMED MARYLAND BLUE CRABS FOR 14

Steps:

• Cover tables, preferably outdoors, with brown packaging paper and tape. For each pot of crabs, add water, beer, and approximately 1/4 packet of crab boil seasoning to pot. Bring to boil. With gloves on, remove crabs from bushel, you may have to pull them apart (carefully!) and put/shake a few at a time into pot. It is best to grab them from behind to avoid the claws, as their legs only move forward. Add enough crabs to fill bottom of pot. Sprinkle more crab boil seasoning over first layer of crabs. Continue, alternating crabs and seasoning until pot is nearly full, leaving about an inch at the top. Cover tightly. Steam over high heat for 14 to 16 minutes, or until shells are bright orange. Halfway through cooking time, shake pot to redistribute seasoning. When done, remove pot from heat. Drain over sink the accumulated liquid from pot. Spread crabs onto large tray; place in center of table where guests help themselves. Serve with small dishes of melted butter and, for those who like added seasoning, place small bowls of extra crab boil seasoning on table.
• Eating guidelines: It is easier to learn how to eat crabs from an expert, but if none is available, here are step-by-step instructions. First, pull off claws and legs. Break legs and check for meat. Sucking is okay. Some like to save the claws for last because they are rather dessert-like, although the "lump" meat from the body is prized most. Next, turn the crab on its back. You will see an elongated part of the shell that looks like a "T." Some call it the key, even though it doesn't look very much like one. The female key is plumper; the male's is more elongated. Pull the key back, breaking it off, which makes the rest of the shell easy to remove. Now the body of the crab is shell-less. You will now see the long rib-like strips on either side of the cavity. These are the crab's gills. Edible, but not very good. Pull them off, and you will more easily be able to break the crab in half. When you do this, you will most likely now see a good amount of white, fleshy "lump" crab meat. Continue opening the small sections to expose more meat. You will not need mallets or hammers for this. When you are ready for the claws, break them in half at the joint. Take a wooden mallet and whack the large half hard. Don't be shy.

STEAMED MARYLAND BLUE CRABS FOR 14

Steps:

• Eating guidelines: It is easier to learn how to eat crabs from an expert, but if none is available, here are step-by-step instructions. First, pull off claws and legs. Break legs and check for meat. Sucking is okay. Some like to save the claws for last because they are rather dessert-like, although the "lump" meat from the body is prized most. Next, turn the crab on its back. You will see an elongated part of the shell that looks like a "T." Some call it the key, even though it doesn't look very much like one. The female key is plumper; the male's is more elongated. Pull the key back, breaking it off, which makes the rest of the shell easy to remove. Now the body of the crab is shell-less. You will now see the long rib-like strips on either side of the cavity. These are the crab's gills. Edible, but not very good. Pull them off, and you will more easily be able to break the crab in half. When you do this, you will most likely now see a good amount of white, fleshy "lump" crab meat. Continue opening the small sections to expose more meat. You will not need mallets or hammers for this. When you are ready for the claws, break them in half at the joint. Take a wooden mallet and whack the large half hard. Don't be shy. Other helpful hints: Don't wear your Sunday best. If it tastes good, you can eat it. Plates and cutlery are unnecessary; the brown paper is a communal plate. Bibs are for babies. When finished, steamed hand towels are very welcome. The easiest way to dispose of the mess is to roll up the brown paper with all the shells, etc. on it -- taking care to "rescue" knives, bowls, etc. first -- and discard in outdoor trash can. The garbage may attract animals, so be sure to keep the lid on tight. Note: Leftover crabs are excellent cold, served with a mayonnaise based dipping sauce. Cooked crabs will keep in refrigerator for a few days.
• Cover tables, preferably outdoors, with brown packaging paper and tape. For each pot of crabs, add water, beer, and approximately 1/4 packet of crab boil seasoning to pot. Bring to boil. With gloves on, remove crabs from bushel, you may have to pull them apart (carefully!) and put/shake a few at a time into pot. It is best to grab them from behind to avoid the claws, as their legs only move forward. Add enough crabs to fill bottom of pot. Sprinkle more crab boil seasoning over first layer of crabs. Continue, alternating crabs and seasoning until pot is nearly full, leaving about an inch at the top. Cover tightly. Steam over high heat for 14 to 16 minutes, or until shells are bright orange. Halfway through cooking time, shake pot to redistribute seasoning. When done, remove pot from heat. Drain over sink the accumulated liquid from pot. Spread crabs onto large tray; place in center of table where guests help themselves. Serve with small dishes of melted butter and, for those who like added seasoning, place small bowls of extra crab boil seasoning on table.

MARYLAND STYLE CRABCAKES

Steps:

• Even though crab meat is packaged fresh and clean of shell there are always some shell fragments remaining. Open the crab meat, dump into a clean dish, and with scrupulously clean hands, pick through and clean the crabmeat of all shell fragments. Be careful of the delicate nature of such a high quality product and try not to crumble the large lumps of crab. Mix the crabmeat with the sweet peppers, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro leaves, and mayonnaise. Add the seasoning powder, 4 tablespoons of the bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Mix well then refrigerate the mixture for twenty minutes. A cold mix is easier to work with and form into cakes.
• Cover a work surface with waxed paper and sprinkle with half of the remaining bread crumbs. Scoop up and divide the crabmeat into 6 equalsize portions and place each mound on the work space. With the a portion of crab in the palm of one hand pat the crab with the fingers of your other hand into a diskshaped cake approximately 3/4-inch thick. It is important for the crab cakes to be the same thickness so that they will cook uniformly. Pat each cake with the bread crumbs, turning them so they coat evenly on all sides. Refrigerate for at least an hour so that the firm enough to cook and in this way prevent them from crumbling.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Not more than half an hour before you plan to serve the crab cakes add enough oil to cover the bottom of a saute pan. Heat until just before it begins to smoke. Add the crab cakes gently, being careful not to crowd the pan. (Cook them in two batches if necessary.) Turn the cakes and brown the second side. When the crab cakes are well browned to a rich golden on both sides, place on a heat proof platter and into a 375 degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes to ensure that they are fully cooked and hot at the center. Serve with chili mayonnaise and a mango salad.