Steam Pot Crab Recipe

This seafood boil contains fresh shrimp, lobster, clams, crab, potatoes, corn and sausage, all boiled in a flavorful broth. An impressive meal in one pot that’s perfect for feeding a crowd!

Fresh seafood never fails to delight, and when I’m really looking for a show stopping recipe I make bacon wrapped scallops, garlic butter shrimp or this fantastic seafood boil.

When I’m looking to enjoy some fresh shellfish, I often end up making a mixed seafood boil. It’s a great option because everything gets tossed into one pot, it’s fun to eat, and of course, it’s loaded with tons of flavor! It’s also a great way to make more expensive ingredients like lobster and crab stretch further, since they’re combined with less expensive items like corn and potatoes.

Ways To Make Snow Crab Legs

This recipe contains shrimp, lobster, crab, clams, potatoes, corn and sausage. All of the ingredients are boiled in a seasoned broth, then tossed in a little butter. Add a sprinkling of parsley and some lemon wedges, and dinner is served.

The seafood ingredients in this recipe cook at different rates, so you’ll want to put the longest cooking items in the boil first, then add the others later on.

A seafood boil can be served as-is, but some people prefer to add more side dishes to round out the meal. Some great options include a green salad, french or sourdough bread, coleslaw, or potato salad. I typically keep things simple with a loaf of garlic bread and sometimes a green veggie such as zucchini, asparagus or green beans.

How To Steam Wild Alaska King Crab Legs (easy!)

You just can’t go wrong with a mixed boil, especially when you’re entertaining. The tender seafood pairs so well with the creamy potatoes, smoky sausage and sweet corn. Everyone will be coming back for more!

Calories: 479 kcal | Carbohydrates: 36 g | Protein: 45 g | Fat: 19 g | Saturated Fat: 11 g | Cholesterol: 450 mg | Sodium: 1892 mg | Potassium: 923 mg | Fiber: 5 g | Sugar: 7 g | Vitamin A: 450 IU | Vitamin C: 48.4 mg | Calcium: 316 mg | Iron: 7.3 mgThese steamed crabs are prepared Maryland style with lots of Old Bay and a few family secrets to make them extra delicious.

Many years ago I lived on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and my dad currently lives on the Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis, MD. This is our favorite way to enjoy freshly caught blue claw crabs at home (with crab cakes as a very close second!).

Old Bay Steamed Blue Crabs

We go out early in the morning to catch them with a simple trot line rigged up with chicken legs and a dip net, then go home, nap, and have a Maryland crab feast with cold beer, corn, potatoes and maybe a few oysters if we're lucky.

While it's more popular to boil crabs in Louisiana and other southern states, Maryland style blue crabs are typically steamed with lots of Maryland crab seasoning aka Old Bay.

Where I live in New Jersey we catch crabs in the saltier waters of the ocean and bay but they are nothing compared to the crabs caught in the brackish water of the Chesapeake. Still, with the right seasonings and cooking technique, they're just as tasty to eat.

The Best Garlic Butter Seafood Boil Recipe

It does not matter if your crabs are male or female, but some states, like Maryland, protect the female crabs, also called sooks, and therefore they're not legal to catch and keep.

Some say the females are sweeter than male crabs, and some have roe, or eggs, attached which is a prized delicacy and an important part of she crab soup. But that since that roe has the potential to turn into more crabs, sooks are not the most sustainable option.

Male crabs, known as Jimmies, are what you will find throughout the Chesapeake region. Jimmies can grow bigger than sooks, so they're meatier and perfect for feasting.

King Crab Legs Recipe [cooked 4 Ways]

You can tell the difference between a male crab and female crab by flipping them on their backs and looking at the apron.

Male crabs have a long pointy apron down the center while females have a larger, wider apron with a small pointed tip at the bottom. Females also have red tips at the end of their blue claws.

It's best to get crabs just before they molt, as they will be heavier and contain more meat. Crabs caught shortly after molting are lighter and have less meat, but the shells are softer and easier to pick.

How To Steam Crab Legs For Restaurant Level Results

It's best to store live crabs in a cooler, with the lid perched open so they can breathe, with a layer of damp paper towels, paper bags or old rags on top to keep them moist.

Crabs typically won't stay alive for more than 24 hours out of the water, so it's best to cook them as soon a possible.

No way! We never use claw crackers in my house. A butter knife is all you need to help you break open the crab. To crack the claws, give them a good whack with the heavy back side of the knife, or if they're soft enough, crack them with your teeth.

Seafood Boil Recipe

No, any lifeless crabs should be discarded before cooking for both safety and taste. Once a crab dies, the meat becomes mushy and off-tasting. They can also make you sick. You'll know a crab is dead when it looks lifeless and its claws hang limp.

Pick the meat out of all remaining crabs and use it to make crab cakes, a crab salad or a crab soup. if making a soup, be sure to save and use the shells for the stock as well!

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Chesapeake Seafood Steamer Pot

These steamed blue crabs are the best you'll ever have! Steamed Maryland style with lots of Old Bay and a few family secrets to make them extra delicous.

This is not a recipe as much as it is a method. Your amounts will depend on how many people you're serving, how big of a pot you have, and how much seasoning you prefer.An impressive meal made in one pot? I think so! This Chesapeake Seafood Steamer Pot recipe is perfect for feeding a crowd and is so delicious!

Made with shrimp, clams, mussels, snow crab and more, this fresh seafood boil is a fantastic way to impress a crowd and only dirty one pot.

Crab Legs With Garlic Butter

Looking for more tasty seafood recipes? Check out Seafood Mac and Cheese with Old Bay, Maryland Style Smoked Crab Cakes, and Smoked Clams Casino: Pellet Grill Recipe.

Loaded with tons of flavor and a great mix of seafood and other less expensive ingredients like corn and potatoes, this recipe is the ultimate meal!

Now, when I tell you it’s going to be a hit … it is absolutely going to be a hit and you will be the talk of the town.

Seafood Boil (with Garlic Butter Sauce)

This recipe is a fantastic way to enjoy shellfish with a crowd without breaking the bank, if full of incredible flavor and is a great way to celebrate the holidays and indulge in great food.

Shellfish: Get ready to head to the seafood counter at your local grocery store or fish market because you will need 1 lb of shrimp, 1 lb of clams, 1 lb of mussels, and 2 lbs of snow crab.

Meat: 1lbof your favorite smoked sausage. If you’ve got the time, you can smoke your own. However, if you are looking to save time, you can use store-bought or substitute with Andouille sausage, which has some nice spice to it or use a milder sausage like kielbasa.

Louisiana Crab Boil Recipe

Vegetables: Classic ingredients of a seafood steamer recipe include four ears of corn on the cob and 1 lb of small potatoes. I like to use sweet corn, but you can use whatever corn you like as long as it is fresh. For the potatoes, I recommend baby potatoes, but see what you have handy or what’s at the store!

For the Broth: This might come as a surprise, but you will need 16 oz of your favorite beer. Why? Because beer really helps enhance the flavor of the broth. You will also need two sticks of butter and two lemons.

Boil the potatoes. Par boil your potatoes for 15 minutes until barely tender, then drain and set aside. Slice the sausage into 1-inch slices.

Instant Pot Crab Boil

Add ingredients to the broth. Pour the beer, one stick of butter, and lemon juice into the pot. Bring to a light simmer.

Add ingredients. Layer your steam pot with corn, potatoes, sausage, snow crab, shrimp, mussels, and clams. While layering, add seafood seasoning over each layer.

Cook. Cook for about 20 minutes, Look for the mussels and clams to start opening up. Once you see them popping open, stir them around with the shrimp. As soon as the shrimp are cooked, pull the steamer basket up and pour them onto trays.

Old Bay Seafood Boil Recipe

Seafood: If you want to get fancy, you can add other types of seafood into the mix, like lobster tails and more!

Shrimp: