This is your one-stop shop for how to buy, cook, and pick blue crabs! Whether it’s Maryland blue crabs (Chesapeake Bay Crabs) or the now-infamous Italian Granchio Blu, you’ll find all you need to know right here. Blue crabs are delicious and can be boiled in just 5 minutes, or steamed in just 15-20 minutes. Crabs are incredibly easy and quick to cook, but being prepared before you get them home will save you even more time and help ensure you get the most crab meat out of each crab.
This blue crab recipe is dedicated to showing you how to cook Maryland blue crab (or Italian Granchio Blu) in just 5 minutes! You’ll learn how to clean live crabs prior to cooking and also how to clean crabs after cooking so you can decide which method works best for you. Then I’ll show you how I pick blue crab in order to get the most meat out of each one.
Overview: Everything You Need To Know About Blue Crabs
- What is Blue Crab (Granchio Blu)?
- The Italian Blue Crab Crisis
- Best Ways to Use Blue Crab Meat
- Overview of Ingredients: Blue Crab Boil Ingredients
- How to Clean Blue Crabs (Cleaning Blue Crab 2 Ways: Live & Cooked)
- Overview: How to Boil Blue Crabs
- Overview: How to Steam Crabs (With or Without a Steamer)
- How to Boil Blue Crabs Step-by-Step Photos
- How to Clean Live Blue Crabs & Cook Them Step-by-Step Photos
- How to Pick Blue Crabs to Yield the Most Meat
- FAQ & Blue Crab Facts: Everything You Need To Know About Blue Crabs Before You Buy or Cook Them
What is Blue Crab (Cos ‘e il Granchio Blu)?
Maryland blue crab is internationally famous because its meat is sweet, delicate, and delicious. Maryland’s crab season runs from April through November. Until recent years, blue crab was plentiful all along the NE Atlantic coast, but overfishing along with other environmental issues has caused a steep decline. The blue crab’s scientific name is Callinectes sapidus, which translates to “savory beautiful swimmer” and pays homage to its delicious flavor.
In the U.S., blue crab mating season lasts from May through October, with females only mating once in their approximate 3-year lifespan. Each female can hold as many as 2 million eggs in her “apron” at a time. The eggs are released into the ocean where crabs molt up to 25 times as they mature before making their way back to the salt marshes to start the mating process all over again.
The Italian granchio blu (pronounced ‘grahn-kee-oh blue’) is the same species of crab found in the Chesapeake Bay and is now popping up all across Northern Italy. Lucky for us, but not lucky at all for the local fishing industries. *If you’re interested, learn more about the Italian blue crab debacle down below.
The Italian Blue Crab Crisis
Here in the Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, and Umbria regions of Italy, we’re currently experiencing a blue crab crisis. It’s not an issue of shortage as is the case in the Chesapeake Bay (which saw its lowest harvest of Maryland blue crabs ever on record in 2022). Instead, this is a full-on takeover of blue crabs in the many lagoon and salt marsh waters in and around the Po Delta Valley and other areas. It’s costing Italians livelihoods and hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Granchio Blu are eating and decimating entire populations of clams, mussels, and oysters leaving these industries in peril. Not only are they eating what would be harvested this year to sell, but they’re also eating the eggs that would be harvested next year. I think it’s safe to assume, that these blue crabs will be some of the most delicious in the world after having had such a rich, uncontrolled diet of high-quality seafood.
Beginning in the late 1940’s blue crabs hitched a ride on transoceanic vessels sailing from the North Atlantic to the Mediterranean and the population (until now) has mostly been under control. But with climate change, warming waters, etc. they’re wreaking havoc on Italian lagoons and waterways as they have no natural predators in this part of the world.
While Americans have had a long love affair with blue crabs, Italians are only recently becoming acquainted with them out of necessity as the government tries to figure out ways to cull the population in order to save entire fishing industries that have nothing to do with blue crabs.
So, we’re doing our part to help eradicate the blue crabs that are destroying our local shellfish industry — one delicious blue crab dish at a time! The Granchio Blu (blue crabs) used in this post come from Porto Tolle, Rovigo Italy about 1h 45 minutes from where we live.
Best Ways To Use Blue Crab Meat
Cooked blue crab can be eaten right away by itself, dipped in butter, as a salad or baked potato topper! It can also be refrigerated for up to 4 or 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. *Even though it’s considered safe to consume cooked refrigerated crab meat for up to 5 days, I never let it go past one night in the fridge. If you don’t plan to use the crab meat the next day for lunch or dinner, freeze it for making crab recipes later on (see below).
A Few of Our Favorite Blue Crab Recipes
Over the next few months I’ll be cooking a lot of blue crab recipes (granchio blu ricette), so stay tuned! Until then, here are a few of our favorite crab recipe ideas with photos (above).
- Best Ever Crab Cakes *recipe coming soon
- Quick and Easy Crab Linguine (Linguine Nero di Seppia al Granchio Blu)
- Blue Crab and Leek Risotto *recipe and photo coming soon`
- Million Dollar Seafood Soup *recipe coming soon
- Crab and Leek Corn Chowder *recipe coming soon
- Homemade Crab Stock *recipe coming soon
- Blue Crab Rolls (Connecticut-Style) *recipe and photo coming soon
- Blue Crab Rolls (Maine-Style) **recipe and photo coming soonCrab Fritters *recipe and photo coming soon
Overview: Blue Crab Boil Ingredients (Granchio Blu Ingredienti)
Here’s a basic overview of crab boil ingredients, but you can find the full recipe measurements below in the recipe card.
- Fresh Italian Granchio Blu or Maryland Blue Crabs: I’ve used Italian blue crabs (granchio blu) because they’re currently available everywhere here in Northern Italy and we’re trying to do our part to help cull the overpopulation which is decimating the clam and other shellfish industries here in Italy.
- Zatarain’s Liquid Crab Boil: *This ingredient is optional. I’ve used just 2 teaspoons of liquid crab boil for about 5 1/2 quarts of water which is just enough to give the water a little flavor, but not so much it overwhelms the flavor of the cooked crab meat. Feel free to add more, but since my intention here is to pick and freeze the crab meat to be used in several different recipes, I opt for the slightest flavor. You may also simply omit this ingredient altogether.
- Lemon: Lemon and seafood of any kind go well together and in this recipe, the lemon adds a bright fresh flavor to the water along with just a bit of acidity that when combined with salt and boiling water, some say can make the seafood just a bit safer to eat because it rids it of bacteria. (I just add it for flavor and consider it a nice bonus if it does all that other stuff.)
- Sea Salt: I use a large grain Sardinian sea salt but Himalayan pink salt or kosher salt will work just fine. I don’t recommend using iodized table salt because it has a distinct flavor I don’t love (even though I was raised on Morton’s) but use what you’ve got and what you’re used to cooking with.
- Whole Black Peppercorns: Adding a few whole black peppercorns helps add just a little extra flavor, but omit them if you don’t have them on hand.
Overview: How to Boil Crabs (Granchio Blu)
If you’re wondering how long to boil blue crabs, you’ll be happy to know it takes just 5 minutes! Here’s an overview of how to boil blue crabs, but you’ll find the full recipe instructions in the recipe card, or watch the how to boil blue crabs video (coming soon)! You have the option to clean blue crabs before cooking them, or after cooking them and I outline the pros and cons of each below and include photos of each process.
- Rinse the blue crabs.
- Submerge crabs for 2 to 3 minutes in ice water. This is the method for how to cook like crab humanely. Submerging crabs in ice water for a few minutes helps put crabs “to sleep” creating a low-stress environment for them just before they’re boiled or steamed.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and add sea salt and a few aromatics. *Skip adding anything but salt if you’re a purist.
- Boil crabs for 5 minutes.
- Remove crabs from the water and serve.
Overview: How to Steam Blue Crab (With or Without a Steamer)
If you’re wondering how long do you steam blue crabs, you’ll be happy to know it takes just 20 minutes or less depending on the size of your crabs. Here’s an overview of how to steam crabs at home, but you’ll find the full recipe instructions in the recipe card.
- Rinse the crabs.
- Submerge crabs for 2 to 3 minutes in ice water. This helps put live crabs “to sleep” creating a low-stress environment for them just before being steamed which is the most humane way to cook live blue crabs.
- Add steaming liquid to a large pot. Add 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5cm) of water or beer to a large pot with a little sea salt. You may also add a couple of tablespoons to 1/4 cup of white or apple cider vinegar if desired. *Skip adding anything but a couple of inches of water with salt if you’re a crab meat purist, but don’t be concerned about the crab meat tasting like beer or vinegar. Add a steaming rack like what you use for canning, or wad up some aluminum foil into balls and add them to the bottom of the pot. Do not let the crabs sit in the liquid or the meat can be poorly textured.
- Steam crabs for 10 to 20 minutes. Bring the liquid to a boil and layer the crabs on top of one another in the pot and cover with a lid. Steam crabs until they turn bright orange and are cooked through. For smaller blue crabs this may only take 10 minutes and for medium and large blue crabs it takes around 15-20 minutes.
- Remove crabs from the pot and serve.
How To Boil Blue Crab Step-by-Step Recipe Photos (Whole Crabs)
Boiling whole crabs without cleaning them first is typical for most crab boils, but you’ll need to put plenty of newspaper down on the table and preferably host the party outside because it gets messy!
How to Clean Live Crab Step-by-Step Recipe Photos
The main advantage to cleaning blue crabs before cooking them is that there is much less mess at the table when you start picking the crabs. Also, if you’re after highly seasoned or flavored crab meat, cleaned crabs will soak up more of the crab-boil flavors while they cook as opposed to whole crabs.
The first rule of thumb before you get started cleaning live crabs, is to put them “to sleep” by submerging them in ice water for a few minutes. Then kill them quickly by separating the shell. You can do this by wedging a knife (an oyster knife works well) in between the top shell (helmut) and the apron (the bottom shell) and using your hand to help pop them open. *I prefer to cook them whole because it seems more humane to me.
How To Pick Blue Crab With Photos (To Yield The Most Meat)
How To Pick Blue Crab (To Yield The Most Meat)
Using the right utensils to extract crab meat from the cooked crab shells is just one aspect of getting the most crab meat out of each blue crab. For this post, I boiled 18 blue crabs weighing a combined total of 3kg (6.6 pounds) and was able to yield 1 pound 10 1/2 ounces (751g) of blue crab meat! Typically, you should expect to get about 1 1/2 ounces to 2 ounces of crab meat per medium to large blue crab. Below is how I got such a high crab meat yield.
- Hold the cooked crab in your hand and twist off the arms with pinchers (claws).
- Next, remove the “apron” on the underside of the crab by using a knife or crab fork to lift it up and then pull it off.
- Remove the yellow and brown liver and pancreas (aka crab mustard or tomalley) from the apron (body cavity) by scooping it out using your hand or a spoon and discard.
- Remove the gills (aka dead man’s fingers) and discard.
- Pull off all the small legs leaving the two flat flapper fins in place and put them in a pile.
- Pull out the flapper fins on either side of the cleaned body cavity to get the two pieces of lump crab meat out. This will be the sweetest and most tender meat on the crab. Then use the crab picker or fondue fork to pick out any remaining meat in the body cavity.
- Break the knuckles in the arms at each joint and use a crab mallet or seafood cracker to crack the shells and extract the meat. I find that when you crack the joints first, it allows the meat to be pulled out of the shells more easily and mostly in one piece. If you don’t dislocate the joints first, crab meat can easily get stuck.
- Lastly, get as much meat out of the long portion of the small legs and knuckles as you can. You may want to skip this part, but in my opinion, it’s worth it to get this meat as well.
*See below for easy DIY tools you can use if you don’t own crab utensils.
The Best DIY Crab Utensil Substitutes (For Cracking and Picking Crabs)
If you don’t have a crab fork, crab mallet, and seafood cracker (aka lobster cracker), there’s no need to buy them when you can use a few household items you probably already have lying around. Below are all the tools I use to pick crab meat as well as photos:
DIY crab fork substitute: The best substitute for a crab fork is a fondue fork. It’s the perfect size for extracting crab meat, especially from the body cavity where the crab meat is located in between accordion-like soft shells. Also, don’t be afraid to use your fingers if the meat isn’t coming out easily for some reason.
DIY crab mallet substitute: The best substitute for a crab mallet is the flat side of a meat mallet or a hammer.
DIY substitute for a seafood cracker: A nutcracker is the best substitute for a seafood cracker (especially when used to crack blue crab claws. I use a vintage nutcracker which does a great job on everything from claws to cracking the body cavity and legs.
Blue Crab FAQ’s (Everything You Need to Know About Boiling Blue Crabs)
How Do You Transport Blue Crabs?
Place frozen gel packs (or ice) inside a cooler (soft or hard cooler), add a layer of newspaper or towels. Line the cooler with a very large trash bag (you can skip this step, but I like to do it so my cooler doesn’t smell like crabs for weeks afterward). Place crabs inside the trash bag and be sure the bag is left open so crabs can breathe. Leave the cooler cracked so there’s plenty of ventilation. Never cover crabs with ice or water.
How Do You Store Live Crabs Before Cooking?
Blue crabs can stay alive for 24 hours and even a few days out of the water if you provide the right conditions for them. Crabs need a damp, chilly (50°F/10°C), and well-ventilated environment to stay alive.
It’s best practice to buy crabs on the same day you’ll be cooking them, but that’s not always practical. And even when it is, you need to make sure the crabs stay alive until you’re ready to boil or steam them. Below is the best way to make sure crabs stay alive and fresh before you begin cooking them:
Store crabs in a cooler (hard or soft cooler) or bushel basket: Add ice or frozen gel packs to the bottom of a cooler and top it with newspaper, towels, or a couple of layers of burlap. Place the crabs on top and crack open the cooler just slightly so the crabs have plenty of air and don’t suffocate. If using ice, be sure to leave the drain hole open so as the water melts it runs out.
Never submerge crabs in standing water: If you do, they’ll quickly consume all of the oxygen and then die. If using gel packs you won’t need to worry about crabs ever being under water, or needing to open the water spout on a cooler. Always store the cooler in a shaded area, not in direct sunlight. *The only exception to placing crabs in water is just before cooking them when the humane thing to do is to submerge them for a few minutes in ice water to calm them down and put them “to sleep”.
Lastly, storing crabs in the refrigerator will kill them because there is a lack of oxygen and it’s too cold for them.
How Many Crabs Per Person For a Crabfest?
If you’re wondering how much blue crab per person you’ll need for your next crab boil, a good rule of thumb is to plan on cooking 4-6 blue crabs per person when you’re also serving sides like hushpuppies, corn, potatoes, coleslaw, or other shellfish like shrimp or oysters with it. And plan on cooking about 8 to 12 blue crabs per person if you’re not serving any sides with it.
Buying blue crab (granchio blu) by the kilogram: 1 kilogram of crabs is equal to 2.2 pounds of crab. For 3kg, I had a total of 18 crabs which comes out to about 6 crabs per kilogram on average.
How Many Crabs in a Bushel?
In the States, you’ll most likely be buying blue crabs by the bushel, half-bushel, or by the pound. Whereas in Italy, you’ll be buying blue crabs (granchio blu) by the kilogram. Here’s a good guide to knowing approximately how many crabs you’re getting no matter how you’re buying it.
Is it Better to Steam or Boil Crabs?
It’s extremely easy to steam or boil crabs with each method having pros and cons depending on the quantity of crabs you’re cooking and what your kitchen (or backyard setup consists of). Here are a few considerations before you decide whether to steam or boil your blue crabs.
- Boiled crabs take just 5 minutes to cook while steaming crabs take about 20 minutes.
- Steaming crabs maximizes the sweetness and texture of the meat, whereas when boiling you run the risk of overcooking the delicate meat. And overcooked crab meat is more difficult to extract.
- When steaming crabs, they’re actually cooking in their own natural juices which can add to their delicious flavor.
- Boiling crabs is easier when you’re cooking large quantities of crab, but don’t have a huge pot to steam them in. You can easily steam 5 to 8 crabs, remove them from the pot, and add another batch of raw crabs to boil, repeating until all crabs have been cooked.
How Can You Tell If a Crab is Male or Female?
Crab claws and crab aprons are two ways to identify whether you have male or female blue crabs. And the easiest way to immediately identify which sex your crab is, is to have a look at the claws. If the blue crab claws have red/orange tips, it’s a female. If the crab claws are all blue, it’s a male. Also, female claws are typically smaller, whereas the male has one dominant slightly larger claw.
When you flip the blue crabs over to look at the “apron” or underside of the crab, you’ll notice the male apron is narrow and looks similar in shape to the Washington Monument. Whereas the female crabs have a much wider pyramid-shaped apron which is where they carry their eggs (roe).
*See the photos below for how to tell the difference between male and female crabs
What is a #1 Jimmy Blue Crab?
The #1 crab or Jimmy crab (in the photo above) is a larger male crab ranging in size from 5.5 to 6 1/4 inches so they’re often sought after for their large size which has flaky meat and tends to yield more crab meat per crab than the #2 Jimmy crabs (5 to 5 1/2 in). Jimmy#2 are smaller male crabs that are usually caught just after molting their old shells and before they’ve grown back into their larger shells. Also, male crabs also tend to have more meat than female crabs.
What is a Sook Crab?
Sook crabs are female crabs that can range in size up to 6 inches and are sought after for their typically sweeter meat than that of the Jimmy crabs. Female blue crab with eggs (egg roe) inside them are considered a delicacy by some. Sook crabs also tend to have slightly denser meat than Jimmy crabs.
What Do Blue Crabs Eat?
Blue crabs love to eat other shellfish like clams, oysters, smaller soft-shelled blue crabs, and mussels, but they also eat fish like sea bream and eels and other plant and animal debris. As previously mentioned, here in Italy, blue crabs are eating entire populations of clams, oysters, and oysters and have become a huge problem to the fishing industry.
Do Female Crabs Taste Better Than Male Crabs?
Female crabs tend to have slightly denser, sweeter meat than male crabs (Jimmy’s), but blue crab meat tends to be sweet and delicate regardless. So whether you’re eating male or female blue crabs, they should be very enjoyable.
What is the Yellow Stuff in Crabs?
If you’re wondering what the yellow stuff is inside of crabs that is often referred to as crab “fat”, crab “mustard”, or “tomalley” it is not poop. It’s actually the crab’s hepatopancreas (aka the crab’s organ responsible for filtering out impurities and contaminants from the crab’s blood). Essentially, this is the crab’s liver and pancreas and it’s not fat at all.
*In the below photo, you can see some of the mustard still in the crabs after I cleaned most of it away.
Can You Eat the Yellow Stuff in Crabs?
While some refer to crab mustard as “pure gold” because of its deliciously distinct crab flavor, it’s not recommended to actually eat it because this is where chemical contaminants concentrate in the organ. And more than that, now with all the microplastics, heavy metals, and general pollution in our water systems these days, the risk of eating the crab mustard just isn’t worth it to me so I don’t eat it. But lots of people still eat it and it’s your kitchen so you get to do what you want♡!
We’d love to hear how this recipe turned out for you!
Did you make this recipe and LOVE it? Please leave a star ⭐️ rating and/or comment below the recipe card to help other readers. I absolutely love hearing from you and do my best to answer all your questions and comments. Plus, I love seeing when you make my recipes, so please tag us @BitingAtTheBits on Instagram and I’ll repost your beautiful Blue Crabs or Granchio Blu !
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The Easiest Way To Cook and Pick Blue Crabs (Granchio Blu Facile)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Diet: Low Fat
Description
This is your one-stop shop for how to buy, cook, and pick blue crabs! Whether it’s Maryland blue crabs (Chesapeake Bay Crabs) or the now-infamous Italian Granchio Blu, you’ll find all you need to know right here. Blue crabs are delicious and can be boiled in just 5 minutes, or steamed in just 15-20 minutes.
Ingredients
- Fresh Italian Granchio Blu or Maryland Blue Crabs (4-6 medium to large crabs per person)
- 6 quarts of water (5 1/2 liters)
- 2 teaspoons Zatarain’s Liquid Crab Boil (10g)
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt, or more or less to taste (25g)
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns (3g)
*For steamed crab ingredients see the instructions and recipe notes below.
Instructions
How to Boil Blue Crabs (Granchio Blu)
- Rinse the blue crabs and keep them cool. Keeping crabs cool will create a low-stress environment and is the most humane way to cook live blue crabs.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil with aromatics. Add sea salt, lemon, black peppercorn, and Zatarain’s liquid crab boil (or dry crab boil seasoning). *Skip adding anything but salt if you’re a purist.
- Boil the crabs. Use a pair of tongs to add the crabs to the water (pincher arms furthest away from you) and cook for 5 minutes on steady simmer until the crabs are fully cooked and bright orange.
- Remove crabs from the water. Using the tongs or a spider strainer, remove the crabs to a 1/2 sheet pan and serve with melted butter. You may also sprinkle the cooked crabs liberally with Old Bay Seasoning before serving.
How to Steam Blue Crabs (Granchio Blu)
- Rinse the crabs.
- Submerge crabs for 2 to 3 minutes in ice water. This helps put live crabs “to sleep” creating a low-stress environment for them just before being steamed which is the most humane way to cook live blue crabs.
- Add steaming liquid to a large pot. Add 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5cm) of water or beer to a large pot with a little sea salt. You may also add a couple of tablespoons to 1/4 cup of white or apple cider vinegar if desired. *Skip adding anything but a couple of inches of water with salt if you’re a crab meat purist, but don’t be concerned about the crab meat tasting like beer or vinegar. Add a steaming rack like what you use for canning, or wad up some aluminum foil into balls and add them to the bottom of the pot. Do not let the crabs sit in the liquid or the meat can be poorly textured.
- Steam crabs for 10 to 20 minutes. Bring the liquid to a boil and layer the crabs on top of one another in the pot and cover with a lid. Steam crabs until they turn bright orange and are cooked through. This may only take 10 minutes for smaller blue crabs, and for medium to large blue crabs, it takes around 15-20 minutes.
- Remove crabs from the pot and serve.
Notes
- Depending on the size of your pot you’ll be steaming crabs, add enough liquid (water or beer) to come up about 2 inches (5cm) from the bottom. You may also add 1 to 2 tablespoons (15-30g) of white or white wine vinegar to the pot. Don’t worry, your crab meat will not taste like vinegar!
How To Pick Blue Crab (To Yield The Most Meat)
Using the right utensils to extract crab meat from the cooked crab shells is just one aspect of getting the most crab meat out of each blue crab. For this post, I boiled 18 blue crabs weighing a combined total of 3kg (6.6 pounds) and was able to yield 1 pound 10 1/2 ounces (751g) of blue crab meat! Typically, you should expect to get about 1 1/2 ounces to 2 ounces of crab meat per medium to large blue crab. Below is how I got such a high crab meat yield.
- Hold the cooked crab in your hand and twist off the arms with pinchers (claws).
- Next, remove the “apron” on the underside of the crab by using a knife or crab fork to lift it up and then pull it off.
- Remove the yellow and brown liver and pancreas (aka crab mustard or tomalley) from the apron (body cavity) by scooping it out using your hand or a spoon and discard.
- Remove the gills (aka dead man’s fingers) and discard.
- Pull off all the small legs leaving the two flat flapper fins in place and put them in a pile.
- Pull out the flapper fins on either side of the cleaned body cavity to get the two pieces of lump crab meat out. This will be the sweetest and most tender meat on the crab. Then use the crab picker or fondue fork to pick out any remaining meat in the body cavity.
- Break the knuckles in the arms at each joint and use a crab mallet or seafood cracker to crack the shells and extract the meat. I find that when you crack the joints first, it allows the meat to be pulled out of the shells more easily and mostly in one piece. If you don’t dislocate the joints first, crab meat can easily get stuck.
- Lastly, get as much meat out of the long portion of the small legs and knuckles as you can. You may want to skip this part, but in my opinion it’s worth it to get this meat as well.
*See below for easy DIY tools you can use if you don’t own crab utensils.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Fish + Seafood
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 Blue Crabs
