I need advice on crabs!

[Mat_D]

At a lovely romantic birthday meal in a fantastic Italian restaurant in Putney, I had a fabulous crab spaghetti dish.  possibly one of the nicest pasta dishes I have ever had.  My partner and I have decided to try it ourselves at home and have found a tasy sounding recipe (Crab with lemon and chilli spaghetti (may add some fresh chopped tomato) - a sophie grigson recipe I believe)

Having never cooked or even bought crab (I fancy buying a fresh / live crab and cooking it ourselves?) what do I need to know / best cooking method etc..

[shaneystar]

Shows you here exactly what to do with a fresh crab.

http://www.martins-seafresh.co.uk/Crabs.htm

[Adi-chef]

Trust me i'm a chef, the best thing you can do is leave trying to re-create that dish at home, especially if your not great cooks. remember the ambience and romance of the evening and vow to go back and try some other dishes from the menu and enjoy and relish each others company thats what eating out is all about. As a chef i love good chinese but after 18 yrs in the kitchen i still can't re-create chinese food at home, it's difficult. hold onto the memory and re-live it at the same place.

[shaneystar]

Actually adi-chef you have said what I wanted to say but didn't want to offend.It'a bit like Mrs Beeton."First catch your hare".
I can dress a crab ,I live at the coast and you can buy them on the fish stall in the market.Easy to do once you have been shown.But as for cooking a live one ....... don't think so!!
I think you have given very good advice.

[Mat_D]

Thanks for all the advice guys.  As far as buying and cooking a fresh crab - we will bow to your knowledge and forget it! 

Obviously we are not trying to recreate the lovely restaurant experience at home, but we really fancy trying a spaghetti and crab dish - we eat a lot of and love pasta.

Surely the way to go then is to buy ready cooked and prepared crab meat? Or would you lose too much of the fresh flavour for it to be worth it?

Probably try it anyway, as we love cooking.

The restaurant, by the way, is called Enteco Turi and we will definately be going back.  I will find it hard not to order the same dish though......

[shaneystar]

There is a shellfish market at Billingsgate...Sunday mornings
6am-8am. Talk to the fishmonger.A fresh dressed crab is just as good and all the work ,taking out the dead men's fingers and so on is all done for you.
I can see what you mean though ,used to live in Wimbledon until moving back to Norfolk and have eaten at Enteco Turi myself.It's divine!

[Richard Head]

I had crabs recently & the doctor told me to shave my nuts.

[shaneystar]

Serves you right !!!

[Richard Head]

I've only ever tried to dress a crab once & it's hat kept falling off.

[depressedmgl]

I suspect Adi-chef is trying to protect his income/job.  By all means you should experiment, and pasta dishes are perhaps the easiest to do.  Most crabs you buy in England are already boiled, most straight after being caught, in big cauldrons full of sea water whilst still at sea.  If you do get live ones, then you need to put plenty of salt inthe water other wise they tend to go all watery.  Male (*****) have the biggest claws and are best for white meat, females (hens) are best for brown meat - I usually get one of each for the best of both worlds.

[Adi-chef]

I really don't need to protect anything (people alaways have to eat) I was just simply trying to make the whole seafood expirience easier. thats all sorry.