Yes, you typically need to boil (or steam) crab as the primary cooking method to cook it thoroughly, but you often do it after briefly numbing them in the freezer and before cleaning (gutting/de-shelling), with some methods suggesting an ice bath afterward to stop cooking. Boiling or steaming cooks the meat, making it safe to eat and easier to pick, with the seasoning infusing during the process or added afterward for flavour.
Place the crab into the pot holding the back two hind legs pulled up or using tongs. Close the lid and cook crab (boil or steam) for 8-12 minutes (depending on how many crab and size of pot). Pull the crab out with a pair of tongs and place under cold running water to chill the crab down to prepare for the next step.
To boil crab, cook it for 10-20 minutes in salted, boiling water, depending on size and type, until the shell turns bright orange-red; small crabs might take 10-12 minutes, while larger ones could need 15-20 minutes, often marked by them floating to the surface. Immediately plunge cooked crabs into an ice bath to stop cooking, then clean them by removing the top shell, gills, and internal organs before serving.
Steaming is better than boiling because more crab flavor is retained in the meat during the cooking process and crabs cook perfectly in 12 minutes.
Boiling Crabs
For those who that let the blue crabs take the plunge, they argue that boiling water results in more flavor due to the crab soaking in the liquid, thus absorbing it all and making it much tastier to eat.
“Steaming allows you to retain more of the nutrients compared with boiling,” Jenna Hope confirms, because leaching, whereby some nutrients draw out into the water, doesn't occur as much. “Naturally, it may not provide as much flavour as, for example, roasting, so serve with a pesto or tahini.”
How to cook crab the easy way
I ice down the live crab to get them into a dormant state, then quickly dispatch and clean them. Then steam the legs, claws, and body meat for about 10 minutes. You can add aromatics to the water if you like, but it's not necessary. I always clean mine (tear the shell off) BEFORE I cook them.
Add 1–2 inches of water to a large pot and insert a steamer basket. Bring water to a simmer (not a boil). Place crab legs in the basket and cover. Steam for 6–8 minutes for frozen legs, or 4–6 minutes if thawed.
For 1 or 2 crab use about half a cup of salt, a tablespoon of spice and get your water rolling. It helps to have a bigger pot than you think you need, also - crab pots have a tendency to boil over. If you're watching your salt intake, feel free to leave the salt out as it's only needed for enhancing flavor.
The Crab Shell Inspection Test: Check the Outside
If you're curious whether your stone crabs have been cooked, you simply check the outside of the shell. Luckily, you won't need to crack it to examine the meat inside. Fully cooked stone crabs have shells that are bright red or orange.
Round times down whenever necessary; raw/undercooked crabs can always be cooked further, while overcooked rubbery crab is unsalvageable. Thankfully there's a decent margin for error in crab-cooking. If you're boiling, you can add some seasonings to your water.
To boil crab, cook it for 10-20 minutes in salted, boiling water, depending on size and type, until the shell turns bright orange-red; small crabs might take 10-12 minutes, while larger ones could need 15-20 minutes, often marked by them floating to the surface. Immediately plunge cooked crabs into an ice bath to stop cooking, then clean them by removing the top shell, gills, and internal organs before serving.
Crab boils aren't inherently unhealthy; they're packed with protein and omega-3s, but traditional preparations can be loaded with sodium, butter, and unhealthy fats from sausage, making them less healthy. To make them healthier, focus on lean seafood, load up on veggies (corn, potatoes, greens), use low-sodium seasonings, go light on the butter, and opt for healthier dipping sauces. Moderation is key, balancing them with lighter meals the rest of the week.
Consuming raw or undercooked crab carries a few specific risks to be concerned about, as it can cause several foodborne illnesses due to the presence of harmful bacteria like Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and viruses like norovirus.
Yes, crab meat is very healthy, offering high protein, beneficial omega-3s, and essential minerals like zinc, copper, and selenium, supporting heart, brain, and immune health, but watch the sodium, especially in processed forms, and enjoy in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
“Although boiling will help get the aromatics from the liquid into the crab, it can become overwhelming. It can end up producing a type of watery soup in your crab meat. With steam, you get pure, delicious crab. Also, with steaming, you have more control over the flavors on the crab.
Overcooking Or Undercooking Crab
Both are easy mistakes that are commonly made, but they are also avoidable if you take the right precautions. In terms of overcooking crab, the best chance you have in dodging this common pitfall is to cook the crab in a steamer basket over boiling water.
Australia's best crabs for eating are the rich, sweet Mud Crab, the popular, milder Blue Swimmer Crab, and the prized, tender Tasmanian King Crab, with Spanner Crab also highly sought after for its sweet flesh, depending on your preference for strong flavor (Mud Crab) versus delicate sweetness (Blue Swimmer, Spanner) or luxury (King Crab).
Thankfully, nearly every part of a crab can be eaten, with one exception: the lungs or gills, aka “The Devil's Fingers.” Despite the myth that they're harmful to eat, crab lungs are not inherently toxic. The real reason to steer clear of them is that they just don't taste good.
Method
In fact, researches prove that steaming can preserve about 90% of the nutrients in your food, whereas boiling can result in a loss of most of the essential vitamins and minerals, especially when the cooking is done for an extended period.
News & Insights
Abstract. Background: Steaming retains vitamins and phytochemicals in vegetables better than boiling; thus, it is important to promote this cooking method.