For those of us without aspirations of being a Michelin-rated superstar chef, what can you do? Here, we present to you a guide for cooking up glorious crab-based dishes!
In the Old Line State, summertime means a lot of things: icy snowballs, jamming peppermint sticks into a lemon, and going “down the ocean,” too. The crab feast is another hallmark of another summer in Maryland. As normal life slowly comes back into focus, that means you can start to plan gatherings like this again. So, the centerpiece of your table should be a crab-based dish. But for those of us without aspirations of being a Michelin-rated superstar chef, what can you do? Here, we present to you a guide for cooking up glorious crab-based dishes!
Tips for Boiling the Crabs
Let’s say that you want to plan a big shindig in celebration of Independence Day. After all, the July 4th holiday falls on a Sunday this year. What better way to celebrate than with a huge meal of deliciously cooked crabs? First, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Don’t forget to add a heaping helping of salt, too! Beer and white wine kick the mingling flavors up a notch. Oh, and use some of our signature house-blended seasonings to add even more punch!
Tips for Steaming the Crabs
Perhaps you’d prefer to steam the crabs instead? This cooking method helps the crabs retain their delightful juices and prevents them from becoming waterlogged. Bring an inch of salted water to the boiling point inside a large pot. Then assemble the crabs by putting them in a steamer basket. You can also pile the crabs into the pot, one on top of the other. Cover the pot and let cook for 10-20 minutes – it depends on the size of the crabs. Once the crabs are ready to come out, let them cool off. At that point, you can clean them off and serve them up. Rinsing them under cool water will shave some valuable time off of this waiting period.
Tips for Grilling the Crabs
Ah yes, grilling season is upon us. Maybe your dad is the grillmaster in the house, or maybe he’s not. Some of us just aren’t skilled that way. Before you can toss the crabs on the grill, though, you need to make sure they are clean. Boiling them or steaming until they are halfway cooked is another great idea. Halved or quartered crabs will cook faster, so consider using those if they are enormous specimens. Olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and thyme add another infusion of mouthwatering flavor, too.
Tips for Roasting the Crabs
Finally, let’s talk about how to roast the crabs. This particular cooking technique needs a preheated oven. After the oven has reached 450 degrees, arrange your crabby delicacies in a single layer. They should turn brown and start sizzling – let them rest for 10 minutes once they’ve reached this level of doneness.
COSTAS INN IS YOUR SEAFOOD DESTINATION
Costas Inn has been a Baltimore tradition since 1971. So here’s to 50 years, and cheers to 50 more!
You may recognize our restaurant, which was recently featured on the Food Network with Michael Symon on Burgers, Brew, and ‘Que! We were also voted the 2015 #1 Baltimore Seafood Restaurant by USA Today and #1 Crab Restaurant 2014 in the Baltimore Business Journal. You may have also spotted Costas Inn during one of our nine appearances on the Today Show or heard one of our many interviews on WJZ TV Channel 13 with Ron Matz and Marty Bass.
You can enjoy our famous crab cakes in-house or order them online for any time eating. We also provide some of the best seafood catering in the Baltimore area! Of course, you can also get your fill from Costas even when you’re not in our dining room: follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube!