Culinary Arts: Grilled Crabs or Barbecued Crabs, with Video
By habee
culinary arts - crab recipes - BBQ cooking
Good morning, online cooking school students! Today’s culinary art is crab recipes, or more specifically, BBQ cooking or grilled crabs. Some of you refer to this dish as barbecued crab, since it’s cooked on the barbie. In the South, however, “barbecued” usually means something coated in a tomato or mustard-based sauce before being grilled.
I’m writing this hub in response to a request made by Hubpages’ Paul Edmondson. He asked how to barbecue crabs. Yes, it might sound strange, but it can be done, and the results are quite tasty! I have no idea if he meant whole crabs, crab legs, or softshell crabs, so I’ll provide methods for grilling all three. Just be sure that your grill is clean and oiled before attempting to grill crabs – especially the softshell variety.
To season your crabs, use freshly ground black peppr, paprika, red pepper, garlic powder, lemon pepper, or cayenne. You can also used a blend like Old Bay.
Grilled crab legs
This method works well for Alaskan king crab legs and for snowcrab legs. The legs have already been cooked when you buy them, so all you’re really doing is heating them and adding flavor when you grill them. Make sure the legs are completely thawed.
We usually pierce the legs in several places with an ice pick or the point of a sharp knife. Next, make a mixture of melted butter, lime juice, and seasonings and allow the legs to soak in the liquid for about 15 minutes. Cook over medium-hot coals, 4-5 minutes per side.
Grilled whole crabs
This grilling process works for blue crabs and Dungeness crabs. You can buy these live, but it’s a lot more fun to catch your own! Learn how here. You’ll need to kill and clean the crabs before grilling. Follow the steps for that here.
Next, mix together ¼ cup melted butter or olive oil, ¼ cup white wine or white wine vinegar, and seasonings in a bowl. Dip grabs in the mixture, then cook on a closed grill over medium-hot coals for about 5 minutes per side.
Grilled softshell crabs
Softshell crabs are crabs that are in the molting phase. Their old shell is gone, and their new one hasn’t hardened yet. In my opinion, these are the best crabs for the grill.
You eat almost all parts of a softshell crab, but before you cook it, you need to kill it. This is generally done by cutting off the face. Do this easily with a pair of kitchen scissors, being sure to remove the eyes and mouth. After that, you simply reach in and remove the sand bag or sac, pull off the apron, and scrape the gills away under running water. (For more information on how to do this, watch the video below.)
Next, dip the crabs in melted butter and sprinkle with seasoning. I like Old Bay for this. Cook the crabs on an oiled grill or in an oiled fish basket, with the grill lid down, over medium-hot coals, 5-6 minutes per side, depending on the size and thickness of the crab.
To read more about culinary arts in my online cooking classes and online cooking school, follow the links below!
More online cooking classes in my online cooking school:
- Southern Culinary Arts: Buttermilk Fried Shrimp
I was thinking this morning...what do I know a lot about? What kind of hubs can I produce from my life experiences - ones I can write without doing any research, and ones that I think people will enjoy? Well,... - Culinary Arts: How to Tenderize Meats Like a Pro!
Welcome again to my online cooking school and culinary arts school. Todays culinary art is how to tenderize meat. Learning to do this properly can save you major bucks on your grocery bills. You can... - Culinary Arts: Crab Newburg
Learn to make crab Newburg in my online cooking school! For the very best Newburg, catch your own crabs! Today in my online cooking school, were going to cook a seafood favorite, crab Newburg. This is part... - Southern Culinary Arts: The best smoked ham ever!
Today's culinary art in my online cooking school is smoked ham. This ham takes some time and effort, but it will probably be the best you've ever eaten - hands down! It's wonderful for Thanksgiving,... - Southern Culinary Arts: Buttermilk Fried Fish
Welcome to my online cooking school! Today's lesson is the culinary art of frying fresh fish. Folks in the South love fishing. Well, allow me to narrow that down: folks in South Georgia love fishing! We...
Comments
I think you'll like them, Bpop!
Oh Habee, i'm drooling. Crabs! Its crab season where i am now, because of the rains. Cheap at this time of the year, though we dont get the soft shell variety which sounds so sumptuous!
But im going to try grilled crabs this weekend, as you've succeeded in whetting my appetite.
Bookmarked to keep the recipe.
Thanks for this great article.
I know I'll never pass in your culinary arts school, but I'm enjoying the lessons. You mentioned a mustard based sauce. I sometimes get take-out fried chicken from a soul food place, and the sauce is sooo good. I know it's mustard based, but I haven't been able to duplicate it. Have you published your recipe?
I absolutely love crab legs, but unfortunately am very allergic to them :(
Nonetheless, a great Hub, Habee!
Love them grilled............ barbequed? might be worth a try!
Kaie
Habee: you're killin me, here... I LOVE CRAB!!!!!
Crab, especially mud crabs, are my favourite seafood and you have given me even more ideas on how to enjoy them, thanks Habee.
so yummy! thanks
Love crab.
Good Morning Haybee,
Yummy , these type of foods are my favorites. Sounds just absoutley great.
Nice work , and thanks to you.
Ron
As always also a2z50
I've never thought about grilling or barbecuing crabs before. What a great idea. Congrats on your score of 100 05/26/2010
Thank you for another great hub. Habee, you reach 100 and yet you look so young. Well done hahaha Serious, congratulation and you deserved it.
omg! This looks delicious. I've never cooked anything like this on the grill, but man this really looks interesting.
Habee, What a great way to cook crab legs. I'm tying that very soon! Good hub.
Wow girl you should have saved this for the hubbalicious, this sounds like a winner to me! I love crab meat and my husband doesn't although I have serious doubts he has ever tried it, so I never get it. My sister use to live near Ocean City, Maryland (think I got that right) and she made the most delicious crab cakes which is how I found out I eve liked it at all.
habee, I'm with Pollyannalana, I'm sure many folks will make great use of your fab crabs on the barbie, grilled or barbecued. Great tutorial. Thanks and Peace :)
From my Virginia boyhood: a softshell crab grilled with a slice of bacon wrapped around it, placed on a bun with tartar sauce. Enough cholesterol to stop your heart, but in those days we didn't worry.
I love crab. Living in east Texas we don't have the opportunity to partake in fresh crabs to often. But it sure sounds and looks delicious.
We love crabs here (being from Maryland) and eat them all summer. I have never grilled them though. Great ideas!
Lovely! I seriously need to revisit the crab issue as I love it. Maybe that would be a good place to start - just the basics!
Looks good, I will have to share this article with my niece too; she loves crab. Good idea, never though about grilling them.
Viryabo, let me know how they turn out!
Sheila, was it a barbecue sauce or more of a honey mustard sauce?? Was it sweet? What color was it?
Oh no, mrpopo! That's terrible!
Hi, Kaie! thanks for reading!
Me, too, Chris!
MPG, I've never tried mud crabs!
Thanks, justcandy!
Hi, Eth! I do, too!
Glad you stopped by, Ron!
Veronica, that 100 never stays long! lol
Lol, HH - it's the South GA water that keeps me looking half my age!
Give 'em a try, Jim!
Good, Pam. Hope you like it!
Polly, I bet those were great!
I hope you're right, Katie!
Niko, I love the bacon-wrapped softshells and have a hub about them, but I haven't posted it yet! I haven't tried them on buns, however!
wow me too
Hi, Sam! Thanks for stopping by!
Wendy, lucky you!
Good morning, Buckwheat!
Hello again, sameerk!
I love this hub. I've never tried to grill them. Thanks for teaching me how.
These King crabs sound simply divine - I have never had them grilled either - sounds like it is time to.
Give it a try, Nancy!
Billy, thanks for reading!
breakfastpop 24 months ago
All I can say is yum... I adore King crab legs, but I have never grilled them. I can hardly wait to try. Thanks.