Blue Crab Recipes

The blue crab is found in the Western Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico and is an important food source in the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland. Blue crab recipes go beyond Maryland Style Steamed Crabs. Explore some unique recipes and methods of cooking and preparing the blue crab by checking out the recipe links on this page. Many additional crab cooking preparation ideas can be found at Allrecipes.com. Blue Crab meat is low in fat and is a good source of high quality protein, as well as certain vitamins and minerals like copper, calcium and zinc.http://www.bluecrab.info/nutrition.htm

With more than 4000 species of crab on Earth it is hard to tell which one came first historically. Seafood and crab have been mentioned in food history documentation since ancient times when the meats were used sparingly in soups and stews because of the amount of time needed to harvest and shell small quantities.http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodlobster.html#crab

The blue crab is most famously known in the Chesapeake Bay but is also found in Florida and in Japan.http://www.baltimoretimeline.com/crabtown.htm In Mrs. Lincoln's Boston Cookbook from 1884 crabs are mentioned as being a luxury item.http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/coldfusion/display.cfm?ID=linc&PageNum=203

Blue crabs are generally prepared using three different crab ingredient variations.

1. Steamed Crabs
2. Crab meat
3. Soft-shelled blue crab

Steamed crabs are cooking variation best known and marketed by the restaurants in the Chesapeake Bay area in Maryland. The basic approach starts with a large stockpot on the stovetop. Add a couple of inches of water with vinegar and seasonings, then put a steaming rack on the bottom of the pot. Next place a layer of live blue crabs on the rack and season the tops of the crabs with Old Bay Seasoning. Repeat layering of crabs and Old Bay Seasoning until the pot is full. Place lid and steam until crabs are completely red.

Crab meat is used for more delicate preparations such as crab cakes, gumbo, crab dip, crab chowder, soups and crab imperial. Blue crab meat may also be used as a stuffing ingredient for other fish.http://www.foodreference.com/html/flounderwithbluecrab.html

Soft-shelled blue crabs are crabs that have recently molted their shell and still waiting for the new shell to harden. This preparation typically involves deep frying or pan frying the whole soft shell crab and then the entire crab is eaten, legs and all.