Poll: Clean before cooking vs. Steaming them live

sodimm · August 12, 2015, 11:53:35 AM

I'm going to say I do both. Crabs I get from Raritan Bay and estuaries I clean just because it's close to Newark Bay where eating anything from there is banned due to the pollution from Agent Orange production. Anything south of that I don't clean.

NJ Fisher · August 20, 2015, 04:01:31 PM

My wife's father was a Maryland crabber. Therefore she is a purist and we steam live with old bay. Now most if not all of the crabs I have eaten have come from Maryland as well. Now being Italian I have seen crabs being cleaned before being put into sauce. That makes no sense either as I do think the innards add flavor to said sauce. Now this might be for a different thread but since I'm about to take up crabbing in a big way living so close to some good crabbing grounds I am curious to at least try taking out the stuff I don't personally like and then steaming. So that being said, what is the correct method for doing such a thing. Thank You

bgfishhook1 · September 26, 2016, 11:27:59 PM

Quote from: jack1747 on June 13, 2011, 05:47:08 PM
I tried to prepare them live but they kept biting me. The bread got soggy too... $:-\$

Jack you are a sick puppy bbbut I still like your posts

BGFISHHOOK1 I B GON !

Wallco99 · September 26, 2016, 11:59:46 PM

Clean first. No one can honestly say, with a straight face, that it tastes better the other way. The truth is that the majority of people don't want to spend the extra time it takes to clean them before cooking. I don't eat guts in fish, cow, deer, chickens, pigs, or any other creature for that matter. So why the [Sam Hill] would I want to eat crab guts?

jtrex75 · April 06, 2017, 06:50:38 PM

cleaned

KALknowsRAE · April 06, 2017, 10:35:49 PM

Quote from: Wallco99 on September 26, 2016, 11:59:46 PM
Clean first. No one can honestly say, with a straight face, that it tastes better the other way. The truth is that the majority of people don't want to spend the extra time it takes to clean them before cooking. I don't eat guts in fish, cow, deer, chickens, pigs, or any other creature for that matter. So why the [Sam Hill] would I want to eat crab guts?

No one eats the guts. You're exaggerating.
It's all about that tasty pasty yellow mustard.

rdbeard · April 07, 2017, 08:21:05 AM

Come on now i have eaten liver hearts kidneys and even intestines are used for sausage,right. always steam crabs whole,unless your not from Maryland.

evinrude 130 · April 07, 2017, 02:35:36 PM

Wallco 99, good point about the guts. Guess us Marylanders are use to eating crabs the way our parents and grandparents did. I am going to try it this year. Just grew up with the notion the crabs had to be alive before you steamed them. I guess it's close enough to being alive after you clean them. But cleaning them is a process that I think may be wasting time. The crab meat tastes great steaming the MD way, LOL. Once I try it your way, I may change my mind.

Some folks use a ice pick to stab crabs so the claws don't fall off. I think that's a waste of time too. I'll eat the claws whether they are attached or not. Guess the presentation of seeing the claws still attached is better though for restaurants and crab houses.

Luna Sea 3 · April 08, 2017, 08:19:29 PM

Quote from: Wallco99 on September 26, 2016, 11:59:46 PM
Clean first. No one can honestly say, with a straight face, that it tastes better the other way. The truth is that the majority of people don't want to spend the extra time it takes to clean them before cooking. I don't eat guts in fish, cow, deer, chickens, pigs, or any other creature for that matter. So why the [Sam Hill] would I want to eat crab guts?

this is a very strange statement. "people don't want to take the extra time to clean before cooking" Its either you clean them b4 or after, it still has to be done. Much better taste if cooked alive. Cooking it in the shell keeps all the flavor inside until its time to eat. Cleaning them first just washes out all the flavor..

Crab Shack · April 09, 2017, 02:08:10 PM

Quote from: Luna Sea 3 on April 08, 2017, 08:19:29 PM
Cleaning them first just washes out all the flavor..

..........and those yummy guts and toxins!

Grumpa · August 21, 2024, 08:44:06 AM

Our family has always cooked em live... I'm not sure I wanna clean em first

Wallco99 · August 21, 2024, 09:32:35 AM

Quote from: Grumpa on August 21, 2024, 08:44:06 AMOur family has always cooked em live... I'm not sure I wanna clean em first

Then you do it wrong!!

Harford Crabber · September 28, 2024, 12:15:03 PM

It appears if you live north of the Mason-Dixon the most preferrable method is clean first. If south of the Mason-Dixon it's steam em whole.

I'm thinking we should take this question to the Supreme Court. Hopefully they'll do the right thing and leave it up to the states to rule!!!