13 January, 2016
Billy-O’s Boiled Blue Crabs

One day a friend of mine took me to a local Asian grocery store to show me their diverse seafood market. They had quite a seafood collection including live seafood. Turtles and fish swimming in tanks along with isles of fresh seafood sitting in ice.
One of the tables had live blue crabs sitting on it and people were picking them up with tongs and putting them in plastic bags. My buddy asked if I had ever had blue crab. I had not. So he began loading 10 or 12 into a bag and home we went to cook them.
We boiled them up with the simple recipe below and they were delicious. I couldn’t stop cracking and eating them until they were gone.
Ingredients:
- 2 quarts of water
- 5-10 whole live blue crabs
- 1/2 cup of Old Bay seasoning
- Warm melted butter, for serving
Directions:
- Use a large pot, add 2 quarts of water over high heat along with a handful of Old Bay seasoning. Cover.
- Once the water is boiling, toss in your crabs and throw in another a handful of Old Bay. Then cover the pot and let the crabs cook.
- After about 4 minutes toss the crabs with or tongs to ensure that they cook evenly. Cook for a total of 8 to 10 minutes or until the shells have turned red.
See How to Eat a Maryland Blue Crab for how to eat these delicious creatures.
NOTE: Fresh live crab should be purchased and cooked the same day. Do not cook dead crabs.
Have you made this recipe?
Do you have any tips or tricks to share?
We want to hear from you! Leave us your feedback and reviews below.