There are many species of crab.
Like chicken, you can season crab meat a half dozen ways with ingredients from your pantry or your refrigerator. If you're cooking the crab in soup or crab cakes, you will need a different mix of spices then to enjoy the meat alone. You have two chances to season the crab meat. Whether you choose to season the meat during or after boiling, the crabs are a blank canvas waiting for a healthy dose of spice.
Instructions
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
2. Combine two tablespoons each of mustard seeds, dill, coriander, cloves, and all spice, a teaspoon each of peppercorns, and ginger and five to eight bay leaves in a small piece of cheese cloth or tea ball. Add a tablespoon of salt and cayenne pepper directly to the water. You can also skip the seasoning and just add a 1/4 cup of sea salt or a 1/2 cup of fine salt.
3. Place the tied piece of cheese cloth or tea ball into the boiling water. Place the crab into the water after the seasonings start to turn the water yellow or brown. The mustard seeds play a large part into the water's color transformation. Cook the crab for 20 to 30 minutes until the crab turns orange.
4. Remove the crab from the pot with tongs. Cool the crab in a bowl of room temperature water. You can add seasonings to this water as well, but it's not required.
5. Extract the crab meat from the shell and eat with melted butter.
Tags: crab meat, cheese cloth, cheese cloth ball, cloth ball, into water, mustard seeds, piece cheese
