How long does it take to steam crabs?

Let’s take hairy crabs, which are most commonly eaten by steaming, as an example. The most commonly eaten hairy crabs are only about three taels in size. Cold water is put into the pot and steaming begins. It takes about 10 to 12 minutes after the water boils. That’s it, no longer than 15 minutes. Basically, every time the crab's weight increases by 1 tael, the steaming time increases by about 1 and a half to 2 minutes. This time is a balance between sterilization, maturity and delicious retention of the crab.

If it is other sea crabs, the time is basically stuck at about 10 to 15 minutes according to the size of the crab. Unless it is some particularly large sea crab species, the longest time should not exceed 25 minutes. , otherwise the delicious taste and meat quality of the crab will be greatly affected. Because the living environment of sea crabs is generally cleaner than that of freshwater crabs, there is no need to focus too much on steaming, disinfection and sterilization. Therefore, the steaming time of sea crabs of the same size can be shorter than that of freshwater crabs. Why do steamed hairy crabs lose their legs? Leakage? What are the tips for steaming crabs?

I think back to the first time I steamed hairy crabs many years ago, it was quite miserable. The steamer was full of crab legs, claws, and bare crab bodies, and the water under the steamer was gray and gray. The yellow color is still a little oily and fishy. It can be said that all the two kilograms of crabs were steamed and destroyed by me at that time. Not only did the appearance become very poor, but the umami and crab paste and crab roe were also lost in large quantities. In fact, I suffered the loss of inexperience. In fact, I had to solve the problem of crabs losing their legs. , cream leakage and other problems are still very simple, let’s share them below.

First of all, we still need to make it clear that crabs must be bought fresh and eaten, at least they cannot die for other reasons before being cooked in the pot. This is mainly because the crab breeds bacteria very quickly after it dies, and when the crab is dying or dead, its body will begin to produce histamine. The longer the time, the higher the content, and there is a risk of food poisoning.

What to do if a steamed crab loses its legs?

Fresh and vigorous crabs will struggle desperately when steamed directly, and their legs will fall off, so we can "dispose" them before the crabs are about to be put into the pot. The simplest and most effective method is to give the crabs an "ice bath", that is, briefly soak the crabs in ice water. This lower temperature will soon cause the crabs to enter a "hibernation" state similar to static overwintering, and then put them into a "hibernation" state. Steam the crabs in cold water and they won't struggle. In fact, to be precise, there is no chance to struggle, because it will take a while for them to get out of that state, and naturally they will not break their claws.

If there is no ice water, you can use chopsticks or toothpicks to quickly pass through the crab's eyes and hit the central nervous system, and then immediately put it into the pot to steam. Both of these methods can ensure that the crab does not struggle or lose its legs, and also reduces the pain of the crab during the cooking process. Otherwise, even if the crab is tied, it may still struggle violently due to the high temperature steam. If it is tied, If you are not professional, you will still be "missing arms and legs".

How to steam crabs without them leaking and turning yellow?

It is easier to solve the problem of crab leaking cream. Just remember to put the crab belly upward into the pot, so that the yellow cream will remain inside the crab shell after steaming. Otherwise, when the crab is steamed, the internal body fluids and the like will begin to expand due to heat. If the belly is downward, the carapace at the tail and some carapace connections may be "stretched", and then the internal juices and cream will be will be lost from this. According to the method we mentioned above, the crab will not lose its legs or break its claws, so just make sure that the crab's belly is upwards, so that the crab paste and crab roe inside will have no outlet to flow out (so we still recommend the "ice bath" method , because using chopsticks or toothpicks may penetrate too much into the crab, causing the yellow paste to flow out from the wound).

How to remove the fishy smell from crabs?

The umami flavor of crabs is the most fascinating thing, but crabs that are not handled well can easily have a strong fishy smell. However, it is not difficult to remove the fishy smell of crabs. Add ginger slices or purple pepper. Just steam it with Suye and you're done.

The most recommended dipping sauce for eating crabs is vinegar. It is also good to add a little ginger juice. Dipping a little bit of crab meat can remove the fishy smell and enhance the freshness, making the fresh and sweet taste of the crab meat more prominent.

If you are eating crabs, especially hairy crabs, the best drink to pair with it is our traditional rice wine, which is warm and warm without being too irritating and occupying the taste buds. Finally, after we eat the crab, if we feel that there is a fishy smell on our hands that cannot be washed away, we can try rubbing it with a little lemon, and the effect is still very good.