Feeling Crabby Yesterday

[Jim_C]

We are staying on the coast this week. Since the whales are pretty much gone and whales getting entangled in ropes has decreased, the crab season finally opened. So we headed to Princeton Harbor, here in Half Moon Bay, to buy live Dungeness crab straight from the boat.

We bought three crab, a total of 7.2 pounds, at $10 a pound. A little over 2 pounds per crab.

Started up the pot. It took 45 minutes for the water to come to a boil on the electric cook top.

No salt in the water. Crabs have plenty of salt water inside them. I was told as a young 6-7 year old boy, by a fisherman, to add white vinegar to the water until you smell it in the steam. It'll sweeten the crab meat and help it separate from the shell. It could be an old wives tail, but I've always done it that way.

No need for a timer, the crab will float back side up when it's done (no pic). Out they come.....................

Plating was simple.....................

 

[kilo charlie]

Heck yeah! Those look amazing!
45 min for that pot to boil is crazy though.

 

[sandyut]

looks so good! Takes me back to my childhood growin up Cali, hitting the warf for crabs and sourdough.

 

[ajbert]

This is what I miss about living on the gulf coast for 10+ years when I was in the Navy...FRESH seafood! Blue crab, shrimp, oysters, crawfish and fish. Now we try to make it down once a year or two and always bring back lump crab and Cajun sausage.

Great job with those crabs. A buddy of mine and I would go out in Pugent Sound when we were stationed in WA and fish for Dungeness and Rock crabs. Miss those days, too.

 

[mneeley490]

This is what I miss about living on the gulf coast for 10+ years when I was in the Navy...FRESH seafood! Blue crab, shrimp, oysters, crawfish and fish. Now we try to make it down once a year or two and always bring back lump crab and Cajun sausage.

Great job with those crabs. A buddy of mine and I would go out in Pugent Sound when we were stationed in WA and fish for Dungeness and Rock crabs. Miss those days, too.

Where were you stationed? Bremerton, Everett, Whidbey?

 

[ajbert]

Where were you stationed? Bremerton, Everett, Whidbey?

Lived in Everett but stationed in Seattle at the Naval Reserve Center that used to be on Lake Union. I think that was the name of the lake. Loved catching smallmouth bass out of it during lunch.

 

[chopsaw]

Looks good . I don't eat like that much , or at all really . Mostly because I have no idea how to cook it . Love the flavor of crab though .
Nice work .

It took 45 minutes for the water to come to a boil on the electric cook top.

If you added the vinegar to the pot before the boil , that could be a reason .
I always bring the water to a boil first , then add salt or whatever .

 

[Jim_C]

Looks good . I don't eat like that much , or at all really . Mostly because I have no idea how to cook it . Love the flavor of crab though .
Nice work .


If you added the vinegar to the pot before the boil , that could be a reason .
I always bring the water to a boil first , then add salt or whatever .

Vinegar is added after the water is boiling. It's the only way I can determine the amount to add based on the steam/smell test.