How To Cook And Clean Fresh Crabs - The Spruce Eats

Cook Fresh, Lively Crabs

Live crabs ship surprisingly well when handled properly and kept on ice, but there is something about the local crab season that can't be beaten, whether that's Dungeness crab pulled out of the Pacific Ocean or blue crabs from the Chesapeake Bay.

No matter what crabs you have on hand, use this guide to get them ready to eat.

Prepping The Crabs

Crabs kept on ice or in the fridge will be lethargic, but even they should respond to being picked up or moved around with a bit of leg movement. If you're choosing crabs from a tank or cooler, look for feisty specimens.

You'll want to cook the crabs before you clean them. Boiling is more common, but steaming crabs emerge from the pot less water-logged and more filled with their own crabby juices.

• To Boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add enough salt so it tastes as salty as the ocean. Add any spices or herbs you like (Old Bay has plenty of adherents, for example, and it's easy to make a homemade version, too). Add the crabs and simmer until they are cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the crabs.
• To Steam: Bring about an inch of salted water to boil in the bottom of a large pot. Set a steamer basket in the pot and the crabs in the basket or, if you have a lot of crabs, simply pile them in. Cover the pot and steam until the crabs are cooked through, 10 minutes for small blue crabs and 15 for larger Dungeness and up to 20 minutes for even bigger crabs.

Remove the crabs from the pot and let sit until cool enough to handle. You can rinse them quickly under cold water to move things along. Other people wear latex gloves to protect themselves from the heat of the shells.