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Boiled Florida Blue Crabs with Seafood Boil Seasoning

Category: Florida Seafood & Fish Yield: 4 servings (scale 2/4/6/8 in the app) Prep 20 min Cook 40 min Total 60 min Method: BOIL Main: blue crab

Live blue crabs are boiled in a spicy seasoned pot with potatoes and corn, then spread out on the table for picking. It is a hands-on meal, so set out plenty of napkins. Scale the people count in the app to 2, 4, 6, or 8 — ingredients adjust from this base of 4 servings.

Open interactive cooker (change people count)

Food safety

Cook only crabs that are alive right before cooking, and discard any that died beforehand. Boil until all shells turn bright orange-red and the meat is opaque (145°F). Put cooked crabs on a clean tray, never back in the cooler or container that held them raw.

Allergens: shellfish, milk

Equipment

  • very large stockpot with lid (at least 12 quarts)
  • long tongs
  • cooler with ice
  • colander or large slotted spoon
  • small saucepan

Ingredients (for 4 servings)

  • 12 live blue crabs
  • 24 cups water
  • 1/2 cup seafood boil seasoning (Old Bay-style or Cajun boil)
  • 1/4 cup salt
  • 2 lemons, halved
  • 1 garlic head, halved crosswise
  • 1.5 pounds small red potatoes
  • 4 ears of corn, husked and halved
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted, for dipping

Directions

  1. 1. Keep the live crabs in a cooler with ice until cooking. Just before cooking, check each crab and throw away any that are dead or do not move when touched — never cook a crab that died before cooking.

  2. 2. Scrub the lemons and potatoes under running water. Husk the corn and rinse it.

  3. 3. Fill a very large stockpot with the water. Add the seafood boil seasoning, salt, lemon halves, and garlic. Cover and bring to a full rolling boil over high heat.

  4. 4. Add the potatoes and boil 10 minutes.

  5. 5. Using long tongs, carefully add the live crabs one at a time, holding them from the back to avoid the claws. Cover and return to a boil.

  6. 6. Boil 15 to 20 minutes, adding the corn for the last 8 minutes, until every crab shell has turned bright orange-red and the meat is opaque. Crab meat should reach 145°F.

  7. 7. Drain in a colander or lift everything out with a slotted spoon onto a clean tray or newspaper-covered table. Melt the butter in a small saucepan for dipping.

  8. 8. Keep the cooked crabs away from the cooler and tongs used for the live ones. Chill leftovers within 2 hours (1 hour if the room is above 90°F).

Skill taught

Handling live crabs safely and boiling them until fully cooked.

Affordable substitution

Use frozen cooked snow crab clusters (just reheat in the boil for 5 minutes) or 2 pounds of shell-on shrimp boiled 2 to 3 minutes until opaque.

Optional variation

Add 1 pound of large shell-on shrimp for the last 3 minutes, cooking until opaque and firm.

Leftovers & storage

Pick the meat from leftover crabs and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour if above 90°F). Store at 40°F or below and use within 2 days. Reheat to 165°F until steaming hot, or use cold in salads.

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