Crab Boil

The idea of cooking crab scared me and so did the price of crab legs. It wasn't until Sam cooked crab one day that I realized how easy it was.- Ridicuouly easy! Then, after eating the crab I remembered how long it takes to eat crab and how rich the flavor can be. Your family and friends won't eat as much as you might think. Therefore, you will not have to purchase many crab legs. And, if you are a smart shopper, you will only buy them when they are on sale. (They freeze well when raw. So, buy some on sale and wait for that perfect crab boil day to cook them!)


~ not for young children
~ serves 4 people
~ cannot make ahead; little preparation; ready in 20 minutes
~ good left overs (Yes, you can microwave the crab legs the next day!)
~ high in salt content

Ingredients:

2 lbs crab legs (We like Dungeness crab legs. -not too big, not too small, affordable when on sale, sweet and meaty)
1 lb red potatoes
8 corn on the cob halves
1 link smoked sausage cut in to 1 inch pieces
1 lb medium shrimp - optional (leave them shelled)
1 large sweet onion (yellow or white) cut in half and then sliced in to 1/2 inch pieces
Creole seasoning
Old Bay seasoning.

Fill a 4 quarter pot half full with water. Salt the water. Cover and bring the water to a boil. Using a steam basket placed over the pot, put the potatoes in the basket and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of creole seasoning and let them steam covered for 10-15 minutes or until slightly soft. You do not want the potatoes cooked to the point of falling apart yet. Then add corn on the cob, onion slices, sausage, and sprinkle an additional 1 tablespoon of Creole seasoning. Cook covered for 5 minutes. Add shrimp if desired. Cook covered until pink (about 5 minutes). Add the crab legs and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning. Cook covered for 7 minutes. Adding Old Bay gives a depth of sweetness to the crab legs and blends suprisingly well with the Creole seasoning. (I know. Sam just threw in a very chef like sentence. He cooks like a chef and speaks like one, too.) Remove the steam basket from the pot and dump contents into a large serving bowl (or cover your table with wax paper and dump the crab boil right on the table.) Serve with a warm crusty loaf of French bread.