Articles
How to cook a Mudcrab
- Category: Fish recipes
- Published on Tuesday, 08 February 2011 19:41
- Written by Jay "Yakfisher" Penfold
You'll need:
Mud crabs
A big pot of boiling salted* water.
Before you put your crabs into the pot, make sure they have been knocked out in an ice bath or a half hour in the freezer prior. This is not only the humane thing to do, it should also stop the crabs shedding their legs and nippers in the cooking process. Also make sure that there are no cracks in the shells or missing/broken limbs. Any recent damage will allow water to enter the shell and spoil the quality of the flesh. A missing nipper from the past with a healed wound is fine.
The key to a good cooked muddie is lots of boiling salty water. Make sure there is plenty of water in the pot and that it is at the boil when the crabs are added. Cover the pot to allow the temperature to recover then take the lid off.
Boil for around 10-12 minutes, or until the shells have turned a bright orange. Then plunge into a sink of cold water for about five minutes. This stops the crabs from overcooking and makes them cool enough to handle. Drain and serve with some citrus wedges, a finger bowl and plenty of napkins.
*Try using different types of salt in the pot for a varied flavour, like Murray River pink or Himalayan for example.
*Click here to see a recipe for crab omelet
4 hours ago
