I have a 1kg (about 2 lb) box of frozen blue swimmer crabs (country of
origin, India), cleaned and ready for use. What are your suggestions
for what to do with them?

I'm after suggestions that don't involve taking the meat out of the
shell and incorporating them into another dish. I'm having a casual
barbecue tomorrow night and thought to serve them as an entree.

However, all suggestions gratefully received.

Kathy in NZ

Kathy in NZ wrote:
> I'm after suggestions that don't involve taking the meat out of the
> shell and incorporating them into another dish. I'm having a casual
> barbecue tomorrow night and thought to serve them as an entree.
>
Well then, just steam or boil them. You'll want plenty of napkins, melted
butter for dipping the meat in. You'll need crab crackers (like nut
crackers) and picks for your guests to get the meat from the shells and a
bucket for your guests to put the shells in as they crack and pick If I
were you, I'd set the table with a paper cloth under which was an oilcloth
or plastic. This could get very messy! But YUM!

Jill

On Fri, 18 Nov 2005 05:45:18 -0600, jmcquown wrote:

> Kathy in NZ wrote:
> > I'm after suggestions that don't involve taking the meat out of the
> > shell and incorporating them into another dish. I'm having a casual
> > barbecue tomorrow night and thought to serve them as an entree.
> >
> Well then, just steam or boil them. You'll want plenty of napkins, melted
> butter for dipping the meat in.

Are you saying people buy frozen, raw (dead) crab? This is a new
concept for me.

--

Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.

In article >,
sf > wrote:

> On Fri, 18 Nov 2005 05:45:18 -0600, jmcquown wrote:
>
> > Kathy in NZ wrote:
> > > I'm after suggestions that don't involve taking the meat out of the
> > > shell and incorporating them into another dish. I'm having a casual
> > > barbecue tomorrow night and thought to serve them as an entree.
> > >
> > Well then, just steam or boil them. You'll want plenty of napkins, melted
> > butter for dipping the meat in.
>
> Are you saying people buy frozen, raw (dead) crab? This is a new
> concept for me.
>
> --
>
> Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.

I don't think that's legal......
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

On Fri, 18 Nov 2005 20:42:51 -0600, OmManiPadmeOmelet
> wrote:

>In article >,
> sf > wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 18 Nov 2005 05:45:18 -0600, jmcquown wrote:
>>
>> > Kathy in NZ wrote:
>> > > I'm after suggestions that don't involve taking the meat out of the
>> > > shell and incorporating them into another dish. I'm having a casual
>> > > barbecue tomorrow night and thought to serve them as an entree.
>> > >
>> > Well then, just steam or boil them. You'll want plenty of napkins, melted
>> > butter for dipping the meat in.
>>
>> Are you saying people buy frozen, raw (dead) crab? This is a new
>> concept for me.
>>
>> --
>>
>> Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.
>
>I don't think that's legal......
>--
>Om.
>
Must be legal as we have strict food regulations in NZ. I buy and have
eaten frozen raw tiger prawns and I'm still here to tell the tale.

You seldom find live crabs for sale here.

Kathy in NZ

In article >,
(Kathy in NZ) wrote:

> On Fri, 18 Nov 2005 20:42:51 -0600, OmManiPadmeOmelet
> > wrote:
>
> >In article >,
> > sf > wrote:
> >
> >> On Fri, 18 Nov 2005 05:45:18 -0600, jmcquown wrote:
> >>
> >> > Kathy in NZ wrote:
> >> > > I'm after suggestions that don't involve taking the meat out of the
> >> > > shell and incorporating them into another dish. I'm having a casual
> >> > > barbecue tomorrow night and thought to serve them as an entree.
> >> > >
> >> > Well then, just steam or boil them. You'll want plenty of napkins,
> >> > melted
> >> > butter for dipping the meat in.
> >>
> >> Are you saying people buy frozen, raw (dead) crab? This is a new
> >> concept for me.
> >>
> >> --
> >>
> >> Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.
> >
> >I don't think that's legal......
> >--
> >Om.
> >
> Must be legal as we have strict food regulations in NZ. I buy and have
> eaten frozen raw tiger prawns and I'm still here to tell the tale.
>
> You seldom find live crabs for sale here.
>
> Kathy in NZ

Oh I get fresh frozen raw shrimp here all the time too, but I have
never, ever seen frozen raw crab. It's always pre-cooked. Lobster too.

And crawfish.

Cheers!
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

In article >, says...
> Must be legal as we have strict food regulations in NZ. I buy and have
> eaten frozen raw tiger prawns and I'm still here to tell the tale.
>
> You seldom find live crabs for sale here.
>
> Kathy in NZ
>

Kathy, a.f.a.i.c.t. virtually all the shrimps & prawns you get frozen at
New World etc are pre-cooked, then snap frozen. Haven't even looked at
crabs myself since I much prefer shrimp to crab.

cheers, -Peter

--
=========================================
firstname dot lastname at gmail fullstop com

On Fri, 18 Nov 2005 05:45:18 -0600, "jmcquown"
> wrote:

>Kathy in NZ wrote:
>> I'm after suggestions that don't involve taking the meat out of the
>> shell and incorporating them into another dish. I'm having a casual
>> barbecue tomorrow night and thought to serve them as an entree.
>>
>Well then, just steam or boil them. You'll want plenty of napkins, melted
>butter for dipping the meat in. You'll need crab crackers (like nut
>crackers) and picks for your guests to get the meat from the shells and a
>bucket for your guests to put the shells in as they crack and pick If I
>were you, I'd set the table with a paper cloth under which was an oilcloth
>or plastic. This could get very messy! But YUM!
>
>Jill
>
Thanks Jill (and others)

Yes it was messy, but delicious, and I was surprised how much meat was
in the bodies, much easier to get at than I expected and absolutely
delicious.

In the end I made stir-fry chilli crabs using the wok burner of the
barbecue. I won't use that particular recipe again without refining it
as the sauce was too heavy on tomato sauce, but the concept was great
and the crabs were fantastic, even though they *were* frozen, raw
blue swimmer crabs (from India).

Here's a pic of the final dish.
http://tinypic.com/fxgw9x.jpg

Kathy in NZ

"Kathy in NZ" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 18 Nov 2005 05:45:18 -0600, "jmcquown"
> > wrote:
>
> >Kathy in NZ wrote:
> >> I'm after suggestions that don't involve taking the meat out of the
> >> shell and incorporating them into another dish. I'm having a casual
> >> barbecue tomorrow night and thought to serve them as an entree.
> >>
> >Well then, just steam or boil them. You'll want plenty of napkins,
melted
> >butter for dipping the meat in. You'll need crab crackers (like nut
> >crackers) and picks for your guests to get the meat from the shells and a
> >bucket for your guests to put the shells in as they crack and pick If
I
> >were you, I'd set the table with a paper cloth under which was an
oilcloth
> >or plastic. This could get very messy! But YUM!
> >
> >Jill
> >
> Thanks Jill (and others)
>
> Yes it was messy, but delicious, and I was surprised how much meat was
> in the bodies, much easier to get at than I expected and absolutely
> delicious.
>
> In the end I made stir-fry chilli crabs using the wok burner of the
> barbecue. I won't use that particular recipe again without refining it
> as the sauce was too heavy on tomato sauce, but the concept was great
> and the crabs were fantastic, even though they *were* frozen, raw
> blue swimmer crabs (from India).
>
> Here's a pic of the final dish.
> http://tinypic.com/fxgw9x.jpg
>
> Kathy in NZ

That looks yummy! Thanks for sharing that, Kathy!

kili

On Sun 20 Nov 2005 09:48:48p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it kilikini?

>
> "Kathy in NZ" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Fri, 18 Nov 2005 05:45:18 -0600, "jmcquown"
>> > wrote:
>>
>> >Kathy in NZ wrote:
>> >> I'm after suggestions that don't involve taking the meat out of the
>> >> shell and incorporating them into another dish. I'm having a casual
>> >> barbecue tomorrow night and thought to serve them as an entree.
>> >>
>> >Well then, just steam or boil them. You'll want plenty of napkins,
>> >melted butter for dipping the meat in. You'll need crab crackers
>> >(like nut crackers) and picks for your guests to get the meat from the
>> >shells and a bucket for your guests to put the shells in as they crack
>> >and pick
>> > If I were you, I'd set the table with a paper cloth under which
>> >:was
>> >an oilcloth or plastic. This could get very messy! But YUM!
>> >
>> >Jill
>> >
>> Thanks Jill (and others)
>>
>> Yes it was messy, but delicious, and I was surprised how much meat was
>> in the bodies, much easier to get at than I expected and absolutely
>> delicious.
>>
>> In the end I made stir-fry chilli crabs using the wok burner of the
>> barbecue. I won't use that particular recipe again without refining it
>> as the sauce was too heavy on tomato sauce, but the concept was great
>> and the crabs were fantastic, even though they *were* frozen, raw
>> blue swimmer crabs (from India).
>>
>> Here's a pic of the final dish.
>> http://tinypic.com/fxgw9x.jpg
>>
>> Kathy in NZ
>
> That looks yummy! Thanks for sharing that, Kathy!
>
> kili

They certainly do!

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!

On Mon, 21 Nov 2005 04:47:43 GMT, Kathy in NZ wrote:
>
> Yes it was messy, but delicious, and I was surprised how much meat was
> in the bodies, much easier to get at than I expected and absolutely
> delicious.
>
> In the end I made stir-fry chilli crabs using the wok burner of the
> barbecue. I won't use that particular recipe again without refining it
> as the sauce was too heavy on tomato sauce, but the concept was great
> and the crabs were fantastic, even though they *were* frozen, raw
> blue swimmer crabs (from India).
>
> Here's a pic of the final dish.
> http://tinypic.com/fxgw9x.jpg
>
I'm unclear on the concept of cooking crab in the shell with any sort
of sauce. Doesn't the sauce come off with the shell? If so, why
waste your time?
--

Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 21 Nov 2005 04:47:43 GMT, Kathy in NZ wrote:
> >
> > Yes it was messy, but delicious, and I was surprised how much meat was
> > in the bodies, much easier to get at than I expected and absolutely
> > delicious.
> >
> > In the end I made stir-fry chilli crabs using the wok burner of the
> > barbecue. I won't use that particular recipe again without refining it
> > as the sauce was too heavy on tomato sauce, but the concept was great
> > and the crabs were fantastic, even though they *were* frozen, raw
> > blue swimmer crabs (from India).
> >
> > Here's a pic of the final dish.
> > http://tinypic.com/fxgw9x.jpg
> >
> I'm unclear on the concept of cooking crab in the shell with any sort
> of sauce. Doesn't the sauce come off with the shell? If so, why
> waste your time?
> --

I ordered a Vietnamese Dungeness Crab dish, one time, back on Maui, at
Saigon Cafe. It was dungeness crab in a spicy-sweet sauce and it came in
the shell. I was thinking that I wouldn't be able to taste the sauce on it
either, but I was wrong. Wow. It was probably the messiest dish I have
ever eaten in my life, and those of you that know me, know I hate getting my
fingers dirty, but I couldn't stop eating it! I peeled the shell off, and
the flavor still came through. The crab was still covered in this spicy,
plumb-like sauce. Maybe because my fingers were still covered? I don't
know, but it was an experience not to be missed and a definite do-over. I
even had left-overs, although, next time? I'd eat the whole thing right
there. It was one of those dishes that was better the first go-around.

kili

On Sun, 20 Nov 2005 21:32:37 -0800, sf >
wrote:

>On Mon, 21 Nov 2005 04:47:43 GMT, Kathy in NZ wrote:
>>
>> Yes it was messy, but delicious, and I was surprised how much meat was
>> in the bodies, much easier to get at than I expected and absolutely
>> delicious.
>>
>> In the end I made stir-fry chilli crabs using the wok burner of the
>> barbecue. I won't use that particular recipe again without refining it
>> as the sauce was too heavy on tomato sauce, but the concept was great
>> and the crabs were fantastic, even though they *were* frozen, raw
>> blue swimmer crabs (from India).
>>
>> Here's a pic of the final dish.
>> http://tinypic.com/fxgw9x.jpg
>>
>I'm unclear on the concept of cooking crab in the shell with any sort
>of sauce. Doesn't the sauce come off with the shell? If so, why
>waste your time?

Now that I've tried cooking crabs I'll probably do them plain next
time. I had never cooked them before and was unsure what to do. Next
time it will be boiled or steamed or barbecued on the flat plate, so
that the delicate flavour of the crab is unadulterated.

They took much longer to cook than the recipe said, probably because
my small wok was so full of crab the heat wasn't readily getting to
them all. I resorted to covering the contents with a lid from a large
pot to help steam them.

In article >, (Kathy in NZ) wrote:
[snip]
>
>Now that I've tried cooking crabs I'll probably do them plain next
>time. I had never cooked them before and was unsure what to do. Next
>time it will be boiled or steamed or barbecued on the flat plate, so
>that the delicate flavour of the crab is unadulterated.

The *only* way crabs should be eaten. Especially our (Oz) mud crabs
which can grow quite big:
< quoting from http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/fishweb/2454.html >
Mud crabs are large crabs with a smooth, broad carapace. They can grow
to more than 25cm shell breadth (2kg), with males generally growing
larger than females.
</quoting>

But I'm *still* hoping one day to eat "enough" of them. (Maybe a 2 kg
sample would do; most I've demolished have been rather smaller and
never "enough" -- even if you get a whole one for yourself.

>They took much longer to cook than the recipe said, probably because
>my small wok was so full of crab the heat wasn't readily getting to
>them all. I resorted to covering the contents with a lid from a large
>pot to help steam them.

Mud crabs should be boiled in a large surplus of salted water. Those
old laundry "coppers" make an ideal cooker for them. (Bit hard to
come by now though.) Do not overcook. They're pretty much
self-indicating -- when the shell goes red they're cooked.

Incidentally, here in Queensland you have to be able to tell the boys
from the girls if you go out to catch your own. It's illegal to take
the girls; and there's a minimum size limit on the boys too. You can
find an illustration of the sex differences towards the bottom of this
page: <http://www.sea-ex.com/fishphotos/crab,mud.htm>
[ I like that site -- they reckon muddies can grow to 3.5 kg! Much
better than the government can do. ;-) ]

Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

"Kathy in NZ" > wrote in message
...
> I have a 1kg (about 2 lb) box of frozen blue swimmer crabs (country of
> origin, India), cleaned and ready for use. What are your suggestions
> for what to do with them?
>
> I'm after suggestions that don't involve taking the meat out of the
> shell and incorporating them into another dish. I'm having a casual
> barbecue tomorrow night and thought to serve them as an entree.
>
> However, all suggestions gratefully received.
>
> Kathy in NZ
>

Heat them on the grill and serve in the shell. Let the guests do their own
crab picking.

kili

Give it to the guy that started the "Horrible cooking accident" thread
hehe



"Kathy in NZ" > wrote in message
...
>I have a 1kg (about 2 lb) box of frozen blue swimmer crabs (country of
> origin, India), cleaned and ready for use. What are your suggestions
> for what to do with them?
>
> I'm after suggestions that don't involve taking the meat out of the
> shell and incorporating them into another dish. I'm having a casual
> barbecue tomorrow night and thought to serve them as an entree.
>
> However, all suggestions gratefully received.
>
> Kathy in NZ
>