Do-It-Yourself has never tasted so good as with this quick and easy recipe for steaming shrimp – in the Maryland “style” of course – often called “Old Bay Shrimp.” Here’s what it takes…
Ingredients:
Steamed Shrimp Ready to Serve
1 pound raw shrimp (the shell can be on or off)
½ cup water
½ cup beer (Don’t use an expensive brand. A simple Budweiser will do.)
3 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
Directions:
Combine water, beer, and Old Bay Seasoning in a large pot and bring it to a boil.
Place a steaming rack in the pot over the water and add the Shrimp. If you would like your shrimp to be a bit spicier you will want alternate layers of shrimp and sprinkling Old Bay Seasoning to taste.
Cover and steam for 2 to 3 minutes until they are done. You will know they are done when they have turned pink.
Variations:
You may wish to use ½ cup of water instead of beer.
Some people like to add a couple of celery stalks chopped into large pieces to the pot. If you choose to do this, add the celery when you add the water, beer, and Old Bay Seasoning.
Do-It-Yourself has never tasted so good as with this easy recipe for steamed crabs. So, you want to know how to cook crabs? Here’s what it takes…
Ingredients:
Steamed Crabs with Old Bay Seasoning
1 dozen Maryland Blue Crabs
1 cup beer (Don’t use an expensive brand. A simple Budweiser will do.)
1 cup white vinegar
1/4 cups Old Bay Seasoning (or more if you like them spicy!)
MORE Old Bay Seasoning!
Directions:
In a large pot, stir together the beer, white vinegar, and Old Bay seasoning.
Place a steaming rack in the pot making sure that the steaming rack is above the liquid.
Bring the liquid to a boil then place Maryland Blue Crabs in the pot on the steaming rack.
Sprinkle your desired amount of Old Bay on top of the Maryland Blue Crabs.
Cover and steam until they are done, approximately 20 minutes (for large crabs). You will be able to tell if they are done because they will be bright orange in color instead of blue/green.
Variations:
You may wish to use 1 cup of water in place of the cup of beer. However, true Marylanders use the beer.
Tips:
The best way to eat Maryland Steamed Blue Crabs in to expect to get messy! Lay down some newspaper or brown craft paper, get out some knives and mallets (used in helping to open the crabs and to get the meat out, and enjoy!
Wait until the crabs have just started to cool down to a comfortable temperature for touching them and that is the time when you will have your best shot at pulling big chunks of crab meat out when you pull the legs off.
You may choose to serve Maryland Crabs with little cups of melted butter or extra Old Bay Seasoning for dipping.
Marylanders love to have their steamed crabs with fried chicken and corn on the cob on the side.
Maryland Steamed Crabs – How to pick ’em & eat ’em
EATING CRABS…where adults are encouraged to wear a bib, eat with their hands, get food on the table, pound on the table, throw their leftovers in a pile, generally make a mess…and have a great time picking crabs.
There are probably as many ways to pick and eat steamed crabs as there are “crab pickers” in Baltimore. The following photos and descriptions should serve to get you started.
Just a few hints:
Don’t bother about the mess.
Don’t rub your eyes until you have thoroughly washed your hands.
Have fun. Share stories with your friends (and maybe a cold beer or soda).
Enjoy!
Tools: All you need are a mallet, a dull knife, and plenty of Kraft paper (or maybe newspaper) to cover your table.
Remove the front claws: Put them aside, you can come back to them later.
Pull off the rest of the legs: Sometimes, you get lucky and some crab meat pulls out with them. Just enjoy it.
Open the apron: Pull up the apron on the bottom of the crab and break it off.
Open the crab: You can now easily pull the hard shell off of the top of the crab.
Clean out: Scrape out and discard anything that does not look appealing to you – the yellow “mustard” and the lungs (sometimes called the devil’s fingers).
Break in half: You are now down to the main part of the crab. Simply grasp it in both hands and break it in half to expose the sweet crab meat.
The crab meat… …can be found in all of the little nooks and crannies. This is some of the finest tasting seafood to be had anywhere.
Oh yes, what are the mallet and knife for? The knife (not sharp, please!) helps to pull the crab meat out from all the little nooks and crannies. And the mallet – well, each large claw also contains some fine-eatin’ meat – use the mallet to crack the claws. Actually, the only essential “tool” is the paper to cover the table. The mallet and knife only make things a “little” easier, but they definitely add to the fun.
If you are in Baltimore you can find all of this fun and great eatin’ at an authentic, family-owned and operated crab house. Be sure to visit L.P. Steamers in Locust Point (on the way to Fort McHenry).
Can’t get to L.P. Steamers right now? Don’t want the mess? Want Seafood at home – delivered fresh to your door? The Crab Place has everything you need for a succulent seafood feast. From crab to soups and spices, they quickly deliver the highest quality products to your door.
Fresh seafood makes a great gift, and The Crab Place has a top-quality assortment to choose from. Not sure what to get or when it should be delivered? The Crab Place gift certificates are available.
