Boiled or Steamed Crab or Lobster
Instructions:
- Put a dozen blue crabs—or a 3-pound lobster—in front
of someone, and you’ll be amazed at how much one person
can eat. Crabs require nothing more than salt,
lemon, or melted butter, and lobsters don’t even need
that—but see the variation if you want something jazzier.
Some people like hot sauce or mayonnaise (plain or flavored)
on the side. Also see the sauce suggestions in the
list that follows.
The water should be salted, which can be done in
three ways: You can cook in seawater, which is nice; you
can add seaweed, which is charming (and works); or you
can use salt, as most of us do.
To serve any number of people, multiply this recipe
accordingly.
- Handful salt
- 6 to 12 blue or rock crabs or 1 or 2 lobsters, about 3 pounds total
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil (or just an inch or so if you’re steaming instead of boiling); salt it. Put the crabs or lobster in the pot one by one (use tongs— when they don’t try to pinch you, they’re probably dead). Count cooking time from when the water returns
- to a boil: Cook crabs for about 5 minutes, or until red; lobster for about 8 minutes for its first pound and then an additional 3 or 4 minutes per pound thereafter. (Thus a 3-pounder should boil for 15 to 20 minutes.)
- The foolproof way to check doneness (essential with larger lobsters) is to insert an instant-read thermometer into the tail meat by sliding it in between the underside of the body and the tail joint; lobster is done at 140°F.
- Drain in a colander for a few minutes and eat, cool and eat later, or remove the meat from the shells to use for something else. (If you’d like to drain the water accumulated in the lobster shell, poke a hole in the crosshairs right behind the eyes and drain out the water.)
- To eat crabs and lobster, see the illustrations above and on the previous page.
- Spicy Crab or Lobster Boil.
- To 1 gallon of well-salted water, add 2 roughly chopped onions; 2 roughly chopped celery stalks; the juice of 2 limes or 1/4 cup white wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 teaspoon ground allspice; 2 dried or fresh hot chiles or 1 teaspoon cayenne; 1 tablespoon paprika; and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a boil and let bubble for 15 minutes before adding the shellfish and finishing as directed.