Best Ways to Prepare Crab

What if we told you that there’s not one, not two, but four different ways that you can prepare crab? Our chefs at The Crab Shack are seasoned professionals in cooking crab. We dragged the chefs out of the kitchen long enough for them to share a handful of their favorite crab preparations.

Boiled Crab

At The Crab Shack, our favorite way to prepare crab is by boiling it. Most crab legs available to consumers are sold pre-cooked. At our Maryland family-owned restaurant, we never use pre-cooked frozen crab legs. All the seafood we prepare is freshly caught and of the highest quality.

Boiling crab keeps the crab meat from drying out as it cooks. As you heat the crab, the water gets into the crab shell and allows the meat to maintain its juicy texture. We recommend seasoning the water that the crabs are boiling in for additional flavor. Boiling crab also will enable you to add other ingredients to the pot to make a seafood boil. A seafood boil meshes flavors from various foods, such as shrimp, potatoes, sausage, etc.

Steamed Crab

Steaming crab is very similar to boiling crab, but it has its limitations. You can only steam as many crab legs as you can fit into your steamer basket. You cannot add additional ingredients, like a seafood boil if you have a smaller steamer basket. However, steamed crab also produces moist and juicy crab meat. This is an excellent option if you are cooking a small amount of crab.

Broiled & Grilled Crab

Broiled crab involves using your oven for cooking the crab meat. You should brush the crab meat with a generous butter coating and place it in a single layer in the oven. Be cautious not to put the crab meat too close to the broiler or to leave it in the oven for too long.

Grilling is one of the hardest crab preparations because you must be incredibly careful not to dry out the crab meat. You should preheat your grill and coat the grill grates with oil before starting. This will prevent your crab from sticking to the grill as it cooks. Keep flare-ups to a minimum, and your crab legs will be cooked thoroughly in about 3 – 5 minutes on the grill.

Rather than making a mess at home, you should come to the best Edgewater place to eat seafood. Our chefs at The Crab Shack can prepare your crab in various delicious presentations. We truly have something for everyone at The Crab Shack. Contact our restaurant at 443-302-2680 to make a reservation.