Make it an “Everything Crab Event!”
Make it an “Everything Crab Event!”
Maryland Blue, West Coast Dungeness, Alaskan King, and Canadian Snow Crabs line-up for a taste-off. The battle of the coasts leads the swinging mallets, and clenching claw crackers. Let’s get started! Sweet and salty with a buttery hint, blue crabs steam or boil into a robust meal, while Dungeness boasts a saltier and slightly nutty option with a “steaky” consistency as compared to the blue crab’s flaky texture. Snow and King Crabs, two frigid water ultimate catches relate to each other in that a more briny or salty exuberance fills each bite. Similar to a lobster flavor, king crab brings a hefty price tag, but the legs break the scales with loads of jampacked meat in each leg. Snow crab’s meat easily snaps from its clusters and exhibits a fibrous quality similar to corn beef. A table filled with all four will certainly have your crab fans coming back for more!
Each crab receives a following for its “personality.” Baltimore, Maryland’s crab lovers replace Punxsutawney’s Ground Hog Day’s predictions with a Crawling Blue Crab Bill at the Inner Harbor, forecasting the beginning of winter, depending on which plank he chooses. In this case, he predicts how soon winter will begin, marking the time for the crab to “hibernate.” Similarly, San Francisco’s Fishermen’s Wharf serves as the “Mecca” for the Dungeness. In fact, when the boats take their first trip out for a catch in the season, the town holds a sort of religious service with a priest blessing the vessel for an impressive catch. King and Snow both have their own stories too. King crab takes the crown with his over 100-mile trek during migration. That’s about a mile a day for this “upwards-to-six-foot” legged crustacean. Snow Crabs from Canada impress with the contrasting colors when cooked. Bright red shells snap and expose brilliantly white as snow meat. The Gulf of St. Lawrence and Newfoundland’s shoreline serve as an ideal spot for such a beauty with its own serene landscape.
Steaming, boiling, or broiling serve as ideal cooking methods for your “Everything Crab Event.” Blue Crabs steamed with the Maryland Recipe get a good dousing of JO Spice #2 and sit on a grate in a large pot with vinegar and a hoppy beer wafting through the crab as a medium-high steaming brings the blue to a bright orange. Dungeness crabs can get the same care, but the king and snow since they received steaming already at the dock with a flash-freezing, they need a “finishing” as far as cooking. Broiling is a worthy option. Turn the temperature to low and baste the legs with a butter-olive oil mixture. Allow the legs to cook for 3-4 minutes and then flip and baste the opposite side and cook for another 3-4 minutes. All crab legs “serve” majestically with hot clarified butter, but some enthusiasts choose a spicy crab dipping sauce with a hint of hot pepper. Whatever sides you set on the table, make sure they complement the dish and don’t ‘upstage it.” Roasted asparagus and broccoli, buttered biscuits, and clam bisque will get you started right. The key is making it “Everything Crab.” Maybe Maryland Vegetable Crab Soup is in order!
