Garlic crabs, a seafood delicacy characterized by the aromatic fusion of garlic and crab, present a tantalizing culinary experience. Whether you prefer the succulent blue crabs, the versatile Dungeness crabs, or the sweet snow crabs, the key to a memorable garlic crab dish lies in the harmonious blend of flavors and textures. In this article, we will explore the art of cooking garlic crabs, providing you with expert tips and a variety of recipes to suit different tastes and preferences. Get ready to embark on a culinary journey that celebrates the marriage of garlic's savory sharpness with the delicate sweetness of crab meat.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
CRABS - GARLIC BUTTER BAKED CRAB LEGS
I have tried and tried again to re-create the garlic butter crab legs that taste like the crabs from my favorite crab joint-The Crab House on Pier 39 in San Francisco. I have finally done it!
Provided by Missykrissy66
Categories Crab
Time 35m
Yield 2 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, grab yourself a small saucepan. On med low heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic (I prefer a press) and LIGHTLY saute. Squeeze in the juice of the citrus of choice. If using a lemon, squeeze the juice into your hands so that you can remove the seeds with ease. Turn the heat to low and let those flavors mesh until the oven is nice and hot. Toss in as much salt (to taste) and a couple pinches of parsley. Then whisk in that olive oil with a fork. Turn off your burner.
- Arrange your tasty crustaceans in a 9x13 baking dish, brushing each leg with the sauce. ***TASTY TIP*** I use an injector to pop a *little* extra UMPH into my crabs. Pour any remaining sauce over those puppies. Now toss the pan into the oven on the center rack.
- Bake your crabs for about 25 minutes or so (depending on how thick the legs you have are), brushing the sauce from the bottom of the pan onto the legs every 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with a few pinches o' parsley for garnish.
- I am a lazy gal, detest doing more dishes than I have to, and am a firm believer in the "waste not, want not" phrase. With that said, I just serve the crab in the same dish I baked it in so I can dip the meat into the tasty sauce, savoring every last drop. If you are the opposite, use tongs and place them on a platter and pour the buttery-goodness into ramekins. VOILA! Crab House comparable delicacy! "Ohhhh my CRAAAABS!
SAUTEED SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH GARLIC AND BUTTER
Provided by Food Network
Categories appetizer
Time 32m
Yield 3 appetizer servings
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Season crabs with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour, shaking off excess. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the oil and saute the crabs until soft, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the crabs and set aside. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then add the capers and white wine. Cook until wine has reduced to about 1/2. Swirl in the butter and the chopped chives. Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer crabs to a plate, spoon sauce over the crabs and garnish with Essence.
- Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
- Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.
SPICY BOILED CRABS, SHRIMP, POTATOES, CORN, AND GARLIC
Steps:
- In a 7- to 8-gallon kettle bring 5 gallons water to a boil.
- While water is coming to a boil, in a deep sink rinse crabs in 2 or 3 changes of water. (Do not fill sink too full or crabs may crawl out.)
- Add Zatarain's crab boil or 5 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning, cayenne, salt, lemons, and onions to boiling water and boil 5 minutes. Add potatoes and garlic and boil until tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer potatoes and garlic with a large sieve to a large platter and keep warm, covered with foil. Add corn to boiling water and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer corn with tongs to platter and keep warm, covered with foil.
- Return water to a boil. Transfer about 6 crabs carefully with long tongs to sieve, holding them down in sieve with tongs, and turn crabs out into boiling water. Add remaining crabs in same manner. Return water to a boil and cook crabs until just cooked through, about 10 minutes. (To determine doneness, remove a claw and crack it with the handle of a dinner knife. Use Knife to extract meat from claw.) Transfer crabs with sieve to another large platter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning.
- Return water to boil and cook shrimp until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer shrimp with sieve to large platter with crabs and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon Old Bay seasoning.
- Serve crabs, shrimp, and vegetables with horseradish cocktail sauce and French bread.
GARLIC AND CHILE ROASTED DUNGENESS CRABS
Provided by Food Network
Categories appetizer
Time 2h5m
Yield 4 main course or 8 appetizer servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Fill a large stockpot two-thirds full of water. Add enough salt so that the water tastes like seawater. Add half of the sliced lemon and the reserved peels from the garlic and onion, and bring to a boil. Plunge the crabs in the water, in batches if necessary, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the crabs from the stockpot and set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- When the crabs are cool enough to handle, remove the top shell and apron and discard. Remove the gills and any transparent cartilage and scrape out any crab fat and rinse crabs under cool running water. Place crabs, bottom side down, on a cutting board and halve lengthwise with a heavy knife.
- Combine 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, the minced garlic, onions, butter, olive oil, crushed red pepper, and black pepper in a large roasting pan. Place the pan in the oven on the lowest rack, and bake, stirring occasionally, until onions and garlic are golden, about 8 minutes. (Do not allow the garlic to burn.) Remove the pan from the oven and add the crab pieces and mix thoroughly so that the crabs are well coated with the garlic and butter mixture. Return the pan to the oven and bake, stirring occasionally, until the crabs are heated through and the garlic mixture is braised onto the shells, 13 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the chopped parsley or cilantro, and serve hot.
SHELL LICKIN' SPICY GARLIC CRABS
There is almost nothing better than spicy garlic crabs. I've used dungenous crab legs, blue crabs, alaskan king crab legs, etc. Winn Dixie had a sale on stone crab legs $3.99 a lb. I couldn't resist getting tons of them, I hope that you like these...Happy Cookibg sw:)
Provided by Sherri Williams
Categories Seafood
Time 30m
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- 1. Defrost crab legs
- 2. Chop parsley and with a microplane grate garlic
- 3. With a microplane, zest the lemon
- 4. In a large heated slillet add olive oil, butter, garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon juice and zest. Saute for 2 minutes
- 5. Add crabs, parsley and swamp fire seasoning to crabs, cook and baste for 4-5 mintes.
- 6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place crabs in oven and bake 12-15 minutes. Baste a couple times
- 7. Remove from oven put crabs on a platter, garnish and serve
SAUTEED SOFT-SHELL CRABS WITH GARLIC AND BUTTER RECIPE
Provided by á-170456
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Season crabs with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour, shaking off excess. Set aside. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil and saute the crabs until soft, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the crabs and set aside. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then add the capers and white wine. Cook until wine has reduced to about 1/2. Swirl in the butter and the chopped chives. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer crabs to a plate, spoon sauce over the crabs and garnish with Essence. This recipe yields 3 appetizer servings.
DUNGENESS DUNGENESS CRABS WITH WHITE WINE-GARLIC
This is a fantastic recipe, stolen from the pages of Weber Grill. If you are a lover of the Dungeness crab, you will love this. Very easy to prepare.
Provided by PACE6634
Categories Crab
Time 30m
Yield 2 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat (450° to 550°F).
- To kill each crab, place it on its back and hold it down with a large cleaver. Use a hammer to tap the top edge of the cleaver and cut the crab in half lengthwise all the way through. Remove and discard the dangling tail flaps and mouth parts. Turn the crab over. Pull off and discard the top shell. Remove and discard the gills. Rinse each half of the crab under cold running water and use your finger to scoop out and discard the dark viscera. Slice each half into five pieces by cutting between each leg and through the body. Using the hammer again (or a nutcracker or crab cracker), crack each section of each leg to make eating easier after the crabs are cooked.
- In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet combine the butter, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Place the skillet over direct high heat and cook, with the lid open, until the butter melts and the garlic turns golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook until it comes to a boil. Remove the skillet from the grill and set it down on a heat-proof surface.
- Grill the crab pieces over direct high heat, with the lid open, for about 4 minutes, turning once, and then move them to the skillet. Return the skillet over direct high heat and gently turn the crab pieces with tongs to coat them with the sauce. Cook until the liquid boils and the crab is fully cooked, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm with pieces of bread to dip into the liquid remaining in the skillet.
CRABS AND MUSSELS IN SWEET GARLIC OYSTER SAUCE
Steps:
- Boil for 10mins the 1 kilo crabs and 1/2 kilo mussels with the 1/2 bottle of Sprite Soda set aside the extra soda for use later in adding in sauce... after boiling slice all crabs in the center to makes two equal half set aside after doing this. Minced garlic Pound Sugo Peanuts Chop shallots Julienne ginger use a big wok to saute butter with ginger and garlic and shallots for 1 minute.. add crabs and mussels and 1 250 grams oyster sauce and again the remaining half bottel sprite and simmer..... for 10minutes and before serving add peanuts as garnish... hope you like it....for more info...email me [email protected]
GARLIC CRABS
Steps:
- Place crabs in hot water to stun them. Clean the crabs by removing the belly shell and the inner organs.In a large pot melt butter and add oil,parsley and garlic. On a low flame saute the crabs a few at a time Do not over crowd the pot. Remove when cooked and place on a plate in a low oven to keep warm. Serve immediately.
Tips:
- Choose the Freshest Crabs: Opt for live crabs with a firm and heavy feel. Avoid any crabs with cracks or missing limbs.
- Proper Cleaning: Before cooking, thoroughly clean the crabs by brushing off any dirt or debris. Remove the top shell, gills, and mouthparts.
- Garlic Preparation: For maximum flavor, use a combination of minced garlic, garlic powder, and garlic salt. Adjust the quantity based on your preferred garlic intensity.
- Butter Selection: Use unsalted butter to control the saltiness of the dish. You can also add flavored butters like lemon herb or garlic herb butter for extra zest.
- Cooking Time: Cook the crabs until they turn bright red and their meat is opaque throughout. Overcooking can result in tough and chewy crab meat.
- Garnish: Before serving, garnish the crabs with chopped parsley or cilantro for an extra pop of color and flavor.
Conclusion:
With careful preparation and attention to detail, you can create a delicious and aromatic garlic crab dish that will tantalize your taste buds. Whether you prefer a simple garlic butter sauce or a more elaborate sauce with herbs and spices, these recipes offer a range of options to suit your culinary preferences. So, gather your ingredients, fire up the stove, and embark on a culinary journey that celebrates the flavors of garlic and crab in perfect harmony. Enjoy your homemade garlic crab feast!
Are you curently on diet or you just want to control your food's nutritions, ingredients? We will help you find recipes by cooking method, nutrition, ingredients...
Check it out »
You'll also love