We got word about ten days beforehand that my dad was going to be hosting a crab feast at his house in Washington, DC. At first, we didn't think there was any way we could go on such short notice. But the more we thought about it, and the more we thought about the crabs, it seemed like the perfect excuse to get away for a weekend. The idea of sitting out on the deck with a cold beer and a fresh, Maryland steamed crab was more than we could handle!
This is Dad's 2nd Annual Crab Feast. Last year he purchased the crabs already steamed. This year he decided to steam them himself. Granted, I didn't have to do any of the hard work, but I would say steaming them at home is definitely the way to go. We bought a bushel of crabs and went through them so quickly. It was definitely a success. The weather was gorgeous and the crabs were perfect.
I was hoping to get a serious tutorial on how to steam the crabs, but I got trumped by a four year-old who wanted to help! So I watched from afar. I honestly have no idea what the amount of each of the spices was. I will just list the spices, and if anyone really wants proportions I can find out. One helpful hint is to refrigerate the crabs prior to cooking so that they don't move around as much. This makes them easy to work with and makes going from live crabs to perfectly steamed crabs even easier.
We had a blast and seriously enjoyed some major crabbing! Thanks, Dad!
Dad's Maryland Steamed Crabs
vinegar
beer
Old Bay
dry mustard
celery seed
sea salt
cayenne pepper
cracked black pepper
In a large pot (at least five gallons), place a rack or some form of steamer about an inch off the bottom of the pot. Heat equal parts beer (one beer) and vinegar until steaming. Layer the crabs and spices to taste (cover one layer of crabs with spices before layering the next) on the rack. Steam until the crabs turn a nice orange color (about 25 to minutes).
Be prepared to make a mess of yourself while eating! But don't worry, they're so good you won't even care!
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