Crab Clique Issue #2

Welcome to Crab Clique! First of all, we want to express our surprize and excitement to see how many Crab Lover's have signed up for our newsletter! To be honest, we weren't expecting so many so fast, but you sure kicked us into action and we have a lot of excitings planned in the making of these issues. Thank you for your interest and we will do our best not to let you down!

Inside these issues of Crab Clique, as promised throughout our www.Crab-O-Licious.com website, we will bring you any important crab fishing news that may cry for some attention. If this happens, like any legislature stuff that can help our commercial fisherman, we'll also include how you may be able to help.

Also, as promised, we will run a contest now and then. Give a bit of time to think up one and we'll be glad to give out prizes for that to you, our loyal crab fans!

Next, we'll, be answering all the crab chat questions people have, at least those that we can understand...So! Instead of answering them on the website, we will now be answering them here. We will also be answering questions about boiling, cooking, and cleaning crab as well. Why? Because a lot of times, the questions and answers don't serve long enough to make whole pages and the search engines have been frowning upon us. We hate to see any questions get unanswered because of this, so we are excited to be able to use this tool of a newsletter to answer each and every one of them, now.

So, with this said, if there are any readers here who have asked questions and haven't gotten the answers, please, do use the forms provided on the website and we'll make sure they get answered here on Crab Clique!

For general questions about crab or a crab fishing experience, ask them, here, on Crab Chat.

For questions about boiling crab, ask them, here, on How to Boil Crab.

And, for questions about How to Freeze Crab ask them, here.

For questions about cooking crab or crab legs, ask them here, on How to Cook Crab Legs.

And last, but certainly, not least, we will be sharing a new crab recipe with you that you won't find on the site! Why? Because we like you! Enjoy Crab Clique!

Your Questions Answered About Crab

Crab Chat-

From John Battendieri in Santa Cruz, CA-

I've been dealing with high mercury levels and I eat a lot of seafood. I'm now only eating shellfish, primarily.I'm a crabber, so I have a lot of dungeness crab. I love the tamale, guts, which I make a cream and crab and asparagus soup from. Is the tamale higher in mercury than the basic crab meat?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies- Hi John! To be honest, we really don't know if the mercury is higher or not. You could contact these people...http://fishingsantacruz.com/ and they could point you in the right direction to what's going on locally concerning mercury levels in your area.

Dustin Armstrong from Rialto, CA- I'm new to catching and cooking crabs. When I put my crabs in the pot to cook their claws came off. I do know that it is a self defense item but I was wondering if the meat is still good or not?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies- Crabs loosing claws does happen. However, to the best of our knowledge, the crabs are still good to eat. At least, we're still here!!!

Beth Sterling from Netarts, Oregon- We have caught dungeness crab in a bay in Oregon for years, but we have just started getting black material in the body meat. Small pieces, not spots. I read the other comments on black spots but it is not war wounds.

Any idea?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies- This issue comes to us quite often. The only way we can tell what is going on is to examine it ourselves and we can only report what we have seen. Without having pictures to examine what you seeing we can not tell. Please send pictures! We can always use them to ask around the crab community to see what others think. Without pictures we are helpless! Sorry!

Anomonous- I killed and cleaned several live dungeness crabs last night. I haven't cooked them yet. I kept them in the fridge over night. Are they still good to cook and eat?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies- Since you cleaned them and kept them cold in the fridge, "we would" go ahead and cook them up the next day. Granted, this isn't careful practice, but we hate to waste good crab! What you do is what you do...just make sure you tend to them ASAP!

Nick from Cotati, CA USA-

I just purchased a crab from a local retailer and when I got it home to clean it I found the insides were black and deteriorating. The odd thing was that the shell, legs and pinchers looked perfect. Do you think the insides were diseased... cancer or something like that?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies- Again, without pictures to see what you are seeing we can't tell for sure. But, without seeing and reading what you discribed, I don't think it sounds too appetizing...

Vicky from San Mateo- I went to a crab feed on friday and bought two gallon zip-lock bags of cooked, cleaned cracked crab. How long will it stay fresh? Today is sunday is the crab still safe to eat?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies- If it were us...Absolutely! Two day sitting in a nice cold fridge shouldn't hurt. We would be indulging on Sunday to absoluely no leftovers! Enjoy!

Keeping Crabs Alive

I need to transport the live crabs in about an hour. Can I add oxygen tablets with just a little water? I don't have a crab bushel basket just a big container its about 40 crabs.

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies- Well, how did it go? We haven't used oxygen tabs to keep our crab alive. We are all ears!

From:Curly Surmudgeon from California-

Worms in San Francisco region Dungeness Crab?

We've been eating SF Dungeness Crab for decades. About 10 years ago San Francisco began to get too expensive so we purchase them in local Vietnamese groceries. We take them home to cook, eat with Boudins sourdough and a dry white wine. Magnificent! (Crab-O-Licious Reply-"MMM!") Last year we got poor crabs, atrophied meat and what looked like worms in the abdominal cavity. Twice, then we gave up for the year. This year 2 of four had the same problem. Not quite as bad but still repulsive. The worms were white and in a zig-zag about 1-1.5" long and about 3/32" in diameter. Never seen this before, but at the cost of crab, not to mention the depression of having a crab dinner go down the disposal, this is unacceptable.

Any ideas? I can't find any references to crab infestation, parasites or worms other than those which infest crab eggs. We're dying for a good crab picnic, whuzzup?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies- Oh crab! Well, we are asking around the fishing/crabbing community in your area...www.fishingtalks.com/dungeness-crab-from-san-francisco-241.html If anything unusual is going on around there, they should know, and we are all ears. Will keep this posted as we find out what's going on... Always keep in mind, though, that crabs are one of the most remarkably safe of all animal proteins. Unlike finfish and some meats, they do have few parasites that can be passed on to humans. But, paralytic shellfish poison, ciguatera, scombroid toxin, and pufferfish toxin are NEVER found in crabs! Like any other foods, crabs can cause illness if mishandled. The most serious and common ways is cross-contamination. This is most common when boiled seafoods are temporarily placed back in the un-sanitized containers that held them raw. With this said, always make sure that when after you boil your crabs, you are placing them in a sanitized sink or surface to cool, if not on a clean plate!

Boiling Crab-

From Jack in Gainesville, Fl-

How long do you boil 8 stone crab claws?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies- Boiling crab claws aren't like boiling up whole crabs. As a matter of fact, we don't boil just claws, we steam them at our place. Why? You don't have all the innerds to deal with but just the claws. So far, our practice has been safe. We steam them for about 8-10 minutes and enjoy the heck out of them!

Herb from Bryan, Texas- Do you boil blue crabs less than the 20 minutes shown in your recipe? They are much smaller than Dungeness crabs?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies- Blue Crabs are still pretty hefty, we would still boil live blue crabs for at least 20 minutes for safe practice.

From Jessica in Nashville, TN-

I want to know if the crabs will come out okay if I bought it frozen from a store? And does the pot have to be that deep?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies- If you bought frozen crabs from a store, certainly! And, no! You can use a smaller pan like a Dutch oven size. You can only get 2 whole crabs in there, but that will work just fine! Enjoy!

How to Freeze Crab-

We froze our crabs without cooking them first. It is o.k. now to take them out off freezer and cook them in boiling water clean them and make crab patties?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies- Did you? Are you there? Is it a safe practice? NO!

From Someone "new to crabbing" in Sacramento, CA- How to find page on thawing frozen red rock claws?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies- I guess we don't have one...perhaps we should? Until then, thaw out your Red Rock Crab at room temperature. Or...simply take them out of the freezer and place them in a hot steamer! They should be thawed, hot and ready in just a few minutes! Enjoy!

Almond Flour Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli

MAKES 12 INDIVIDUAL CRAB CAKES

Ingredients: FOR THE LEMON AIOLI 2 egg yolks 2 tsp. Dijon 1 clove garlic, crushed ½ tsp. lemon zest 2 tsp. lemon juice 2/3 to 1 cup grapeseed oil Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

FOR THE CRAB CAKES: 1/3 cup mayonnaise 2 Tbs. dijon 1 egg 1 egg yolk 2 tsp. lemon zest 2 tsp. lemon juice 2 2/3 cups ground almond meal, divided 4 scallions, finely chopped 1 tbsp. chopped dill 1 tbsp. chopped tarragon 1 tbsp. chopped cilantro 1 lb. lump crabmeat, picked over ½ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. freshly ground white pepper 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal 1/2 to 3/4 cups canola or grapeseed oil for frying

Directions: 1. Make the aioli: Combine egg yolks, mustard, garlic, and lemon zest and juice in a blender and puree until smooth. With blender running on its lowest setting, remove the lid plug and slowly drizzle in grapeseed oil, a few drops at at a time, until mixture begins to thicken. Gradually increase the oil to a thin, steady stream, until a uniform creamy consistency is reached. If mixture begins to thread and break apart, stop adding oil and drizzle in lukewarm water a few drops at a time, until consistency once again becomes uniform and creamy. Season aioli with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.

2. Make the crab cakes: Whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, egg, yolk, and lemon zest and juice in a large bowl. Mix in 2 cups of almond meal, scallions, and herbs until thoroughly combined. Gently fold in crab, taking care to keep large lumps intact. Season mixture with salt and white pepper, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

3. Mix remaining 2/3 cup almond meal and cornmeal in a pie plate, season lightly with salt and pepper. Divide crab mixture into 12 equal portions and form into 2-inch patties. Coat in almond-cornmeal mixture, pressing coating up sides until cakes are completely covered.

4. Heat 4 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until the oil is hot but no smoking, about 2-3 minutes. In batches, cook the crab cakes for 4-5 minutes per side until deep golden brown and crisp, wiping out the skillet and adding fresh oil between batches. Transfer cooked crab cakes to a paper-towel-lined tray and serve while warm.

Notes: The aioli may be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Crabcakes can be kept warm in a 200° oven for up to 30 minutes before service, or while making aioli.

The url to the recipe...http://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/Almond-Flour-Crab-Cakes-with-Lemon-Aioli?cmpid=wrld