Gluten Free Maryland Steamed Crabs

48 live blue crabs 
16 oz Bard’s beer (flat)
4 cups apple cider vinegar
1 1/3 cups old bay seasoning
1/2 cup coarse salt
1/2 cup dry mustard
1/4 cup cracked black pepper
1/4 cup red Chile flakes (optional)
Dipping Sauce

The sauce can be made 1 hour before steaming crabs, and kept in a warm place)

8 oz. (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces 

1 Tbs. Old Bay Seasoning

3 Tbsp beer 

1 clove crushed garlic 

1 large shallot 

In a small saucepan, bring water or beer to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low. 

One piece at a time, whisk in the butter. Wait until each piece is completely melted before adding the next. 

Once the consistency begins to change from watery to creamy, with a pale yellow hue (after 4 or 5 pieces of butter have been whisked in), emulsification has begun. At this point, you can add 2 or 3 pieces of butter at a time, making sure they are almost fully combined before adding more.

Whisk in Old Bay, garlic, and shallot. 

Turn off the heat but leave the pan on the burner to let the flavors develop. 

Serve warm.

Crabs

In a small bowl, mix together the Old Bay, salt, mustard, pepper, and chile flakes. 

In a large pot, pour water, vinegar and beer (liquid measurements are an approximate amount depending on the actual size of the pot…. you may need to adjust the level of the liquid so it is a little below the rack level. Make sure you have sufficient liquid so that it does not boil away before the crabs are done. 

Place pot on the stove or outdoor gas burner and turn on high. Bring the liquid to a boil.

Using one set of tongs, place crabs on the elevated platform in the pot, and sprinkle the mixture generously over each layer of crabs.

Cover and wait for wisps of steam to begin escaping from under the lid, about 5-10 minutes or so. 

Continue to steam over high heat for an additional 20-30 minutes until crabs turn bright orange/red. 

If crabs have dark red or greenish patches, then the crabs are not yet fully cooked.

Remove crabs from the pot and place on a newspaper covered table. 

Advertisement