We are going to make the best steamed blue crabs, a recipe right from my mama's kitchen! This is the ultimate guide to help you host the most amazing Maryland Crab Feast at home this summer. Get ready for Old Bay and plenty of melted butter, honey!
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Jump to:
- My Mama's Real Deal Steamed Maryland Blue Crabs
- Why You'll Love Steamed Blue Crabs
- What's a Crab Feast?
- Ingredients Needed
- How to Steam Blue Crabs at Home
- Equipment You'll Need
- Tips for the Best Crab Feast Ever!
- Storage and Reheating Instructions
- FAQs
- Must Have Side Dishes for a Real Deal Crab Feast
- Steamed Blue Crabs
My Mama's Real Deal Steamed Maryland Blue Crabs
My mama was born on the eastern shore of Maryland, near the Baltimore harbor. I remember when I was pregnant with Greyson, she and my aunties brought me upstate to visit her childhood home (and fill my Accord's back seat with angry blue crabs from her favorite crab house).
I've told this story before: while my dad and husband got to work on the nursery, my aunts and mama filled our little base-housing apartment with the smell of Old Bay, Natty Bo, and tons of newspaper.
And that's just one close memory of my mama's many pots of steamed crabs (and just one of many times a crab chased my auntie). I was born and raised in Virginia, so summers of blue crab boils and crab feasts were aplenty for me. As an adult, I love making the same fun memories with my son, who loves seafood (possibly even more than me!).
If you need help buying live crabs or have never eaten a blue crab before (it takes a little know-how! Very different than eating snow crab and king crab legs!) visit my How to Guide for Blue Crabs.
Eat these steamed crabs with melted clarified butter, try them with my Cajun Dipping Sauce, or dip them in Creamy Garlic Butter Sauce I make just for seafood!
Why You'll Love Steamed Blue Crabs
- Steaming keeps all the crab flavor in the shell, not in the cooking liquid, and it's done in less than 30 minutes!
- It's harder to overcook crabs when steaming them, so you'll end up looking like a pro!
- Steaming is more gentle than boiling to the crab, so the crab doesn't tense up and make tough and chewy meat. Steaming will give you tender, sweeter blue crab meat.
What's a Crab Feast?
Much like a seafood boil, a crab feast is a summertime social event. People pitch in to buy bushels of live crabs, there's a giant steamer pot on a portable propane stove, there's lots of beer and Old Bay seasoning. Music, dancing, sometimes fireworks because these feasts pop up all the time from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Times are to be had!
Blue crabs have always been an important part of American culinary history since they were so abundant in the Chesapeake region until recently, and eating them has always been a community job: sitting at a table with friends and family, breaking apart the shells, and picking out the crab meat. It takes time and it's always more fun with company.
Ingredients Needed
- Maryland Blue Crabs - for the right flavor you want live Chesapeake blue crabs. These aren't like snow crab legs, you want them alive. The ones here in the DMV area are a much brighter blue than the Carolina or Gulf crabs, so keep that in mind if you're looking for Maryland blue crabs specifically. These are the same crabs that make the jumbo lump crab meat for your crab cakes.
- White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar - We use apple cider vinegar when steaming crabs for better flavor (in my opinion!) and easier picking. The vinegar tenderizes the meat as it steams and helps the meat pull away from the cartilage and shell, making it easier to eat.
- Beer - light beers are the key here for authentic flavor. A light lager, the traditional National Bohemian (Natty Bo) in Maryland, or a light ale like Blue Moon are the best options.
- Crab Seasoning - many crab houses have their own special blend, and many Marylanders use the J.O. Spice blend, but my tried and true will forever be Old Bay Seasoning.
How to Steam Blue Crabs at Home
Step 1 | Pour the beer and vinegar into the bottom of the pot and bring to a rolling boil.
While the steam pot is coming to a boil, give your crabs a rinse in a large bowl under cool water then put them back on ice until the liquid is boiling.
Step 2 | Once the beer mixture is boiling, carefully place the first layer of crabs into the pot on the steamer rack. You want them to only be one layer, don't pile the crabs.
Step 3 | Cover that layer in a generous sprinkle of crab seasoning. And I do mean generous.
Step 4 | Repeat with another layer of crabs on top. One layer of crabs, then season get those crabs coated . Another layer, then sprinkle the crabs generously with that Old Bay. You want at most 3-4 layers of crabs depending on the size of your pot (I was able to put in 24 crabs per batch for my 24 qt pot). Work in batches so they all cook evenly and don't overcrowd the pot.
Step 5 | Season the last layer of live blue crabs on top, the cover and steam the crabs for 20-25 minutes until they are bright orange. Pro Tip: if you see them pushing out mustard and fat, they need to be pulled off the heat, we don't want to overcook them.
Step 6 | Serve the steamed blue crabs on newspaper or brown paper with melted butter, wooden mallets, and claw crackers!
Equipment You'll Need
This is everything you'll need to get the crabs, steam, and eat them.
- A Cooler - you want a cooler with you when you go buy the live crabs from the market, to put the crabs in, dump the ice on them and wet paper bags or paper towels, and keep them cold as you drive back home.
- Steamer Pot - This is a very large stock pot with a raised rack or steamer basket.
- Ice - go to the store or to a Sonic restaurant and buy a couple of cheap bags of ice. Your ice maker won't make enough. You'll want enough to make a good layer across the bottom of your cooler, but not enough that they'll submerge the crabs and drown them as the ice melts.
- Tongs - stay safe and don't get pinched with a long pair of tongs!
- Crab mallets and Crab Claw Crackers - these wooden mallets and tong-like tools are great for cracking the claw shells open,
- Paper Towels - you're going to need them, a lot of them.
- Newspaper or Brown Paper Bags - I like using brown paper like the restaurants! It's stronger, sturdier, less likely for crab juice to leak through and isn't covered in ink. You could also use butcher paper or parchment paper.
Tips for the Best Crab Feast Ever!
- Make Sure They're Alive Before You Leave the Shop: Bring a stick or something to poke at your crabs. They should be mean and angry, trying to pinch you or attacking each other. Once a crab dies it can't be eaten, so don't end up paying for them!
- Shhh, a special secret for those who are reading: If you're in the Chesapeake area...buy your crabs in September and October since it's no longer peak seafood boil/summer party season. This is when the crabs start packing on the fat to survive the winter and the prices start to go down so you get fat, juicy crabs on the cheap...but keep that between us. I don't need them hiking prices up.
- Make sure to use a steamer rack that is at least an inch above the boiling liquid. Any crabs that end up in the liquid will end up with soggy meat.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Steamed crabs can be kept in the refrigerator for 5 days in an airtight zip top bag.
To reheat the steamed blue crabs: place a steamer rack or basket in a large pot with a few inches of water, but keep the water below the steaming rack. Once the water is boiling, place the crabs onto the steamer rack/basket and cover.
Steam the crabs for five minutes or until the meat is warmed through.
FAQs
Yes that's the tomalley, or 'crab fat'! It's edible with a good flavor, and many people enjoy eating the 'crab fat'.
The shell of the crab will be bright orange, without any traces of blue or green when cooked through. Test for doneness by pulling a claw or leg. If it separates easily from the body, the crabs are cooked though!
It takes about 12-15 minutes to steam a dozen crabs. If you see the crabs pushing out white albumin or yellow tomalley, they are more than ready! Take them off the heat or you might overcook 'em!
Female blue crabs are smaller than the males and have 'red nail polish', as seen below: bright red tips on their claws. It's the easiest way to tell if you have a live female crab.
Must Have Side Dishes for a Real Deal Crab Feast
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Steamed Blue Crabs
Ingredients
- 24 Live Blue Crabs, ask for a' quarter bushel of #1 and #2 Jimmies' at the market
- 2 (12 oz ) bottles light lager or ale beer, National Bohemian preferred
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar
- 2 cups water, optional
- 1 cup Old Bay Seasoning, or J.O. Spice #2, if you can find it
Instructions
Clean the Crabs
- Rinse the live crabs in a large bowl under cool running water to remove debris and dirt.24 Live Blue Crabs
- Use tongs to carefully place the crabs back into your cooler on ice as you bring your steaming liquid to a boil in the pot.
Steam the Crabs
- In a large steam pot with a steamer rack or basket, pour in the beer, apple cider vinegar, and water (if there's enough space without the liquids touching the bottom of the steamer rack). Bring it to a boil.2 (12 oz ) bottles light lager or ale beer, 2 cups apple cider vinegar, 2 cups water
- Once the liquid is boiling, use your tongs to start layering the crabs into the pot but don't pile them on top of each other. Lay them next to each other on the bottom, and once the bottom is covered, season them generously with ⅓ cup of Old Bay Seasoning. Don't be shy with the Old Bay, use more if you want! You really want those crabs covered in those spices.1 cup Old Bay Seasoning
- Use your tongs to place another layer of crabs on top of the crab layer you just seasoned, and once you have a full layer season those crabs generously with Old Bay as well.
- Repeat this process for 3-4 layers, we don't want to overcrowd the pot or else the crabs won't steam evenly. Work in batches (or with a second pot, just double the amount of liquid needed)
- Cover the pot with its lid and steam the blue crabs for about 20-22 minutes, until the shells are bright orange. If you see some mustard or white albumin starting to push out of them before the allotted time, they're ready to be removed from the pot!
- Repeat Steps 2-5 for the rest of the crabs, after removing the batch of steamed crabs from the pot, until all your crabs are steamed and bright orange.
Serve the Steamed Blue Crabs
- Remove the crabs from the pot and either dump them onto a brown paper or newspaper covered table, or into a paper-covered tray for serving.
- Let the crab cool for a couple of minutes until they're cool enough to handle but still hot. Eat with wooden mallets, crab crackers, clean fingers (that'll get covered in seasoning), and plenty of napkins.
Recipe Notes
Cooking Tips
- Keep the crabs on ice until you're about to put them in the pot. They're easier to move around when they are numbed and asleep.
- Smaller crabs like females will cook faster than big ones like a #1 Jimmy. Cook a batch of smaller crabs for 10-15 minutes, watching for any albumin pushing out.
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