I got some live crabs for steaming today, so I tried to take a pic at each step of the process.
prepping- I use a steaming pot, the bottom section is where the water goes for the steam, I used an inexpensive beer for flavor, it's a traditional way of doing it. A "pinch" of seafood seasoning is added to the liquid.
The upper section is put over the bottom (duh), then the crabs are loaded into it. I opened the bag of crabs in the sink, every once in a while you wil get one that tries to escape, so if he gets out of the bag, he's still stuck in the sink.:twisted:
1 in the pot, 12 more to go. You hit them with more seasoning, they calm down instantly.
Lid on, fire going at full blast. I just watch to see the color of the shells change from blue to bright red, it's usually around 20 minutes.
Brown craft paper is a traditional table covering, once you finish eating you can roll up the whole mess and toss it into the trash can ( or compost pile if so inclined, the shells make great compost)
Some folks will steam corn on the cob, small 'taters and onions with their crabs, I just like some fresh sliced tomatoes to dip into the seasoning.
See all of that juice in the shell, it's good for slurping! Once you get the shell off and break off the legs, I split the shell down the middle and start digging out the meat. It's a great treat but it's a lot of work, so I'll only have them a few times during the summer and fall.