When is National Crabmeat Day?
National Crabmeat Day is always March 9.
Are there other Holidays related?
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Definition: Crab
The blue crab of the Atlantic coast of the United States is a swimming crab that is much used for food. It is marketed as a soft-shelled crab after it has molted and before the new shell has hardened. Females of the oyster and mussel crabs live inside the shells of bivalve mollusks. Often seen scurrying about near their burrows in muddy banks are the fiddler crabs , the males of which have one much enlarged claw used in defense and in courtship rituals. The sand, or ghost, crabs build burrows high up on the sand into which they seem to vanish. The sluggish, long-legged spider crabs are often disguised by the algae, barnacles, and sea anemones that attach themselves to the carapace. The giant spider crab of Japan, the largest living arthropod, has legs about 4 ft (22 cm) long and a carapace over 1 ft (30 cm) wide. The closely related kelp crabs are found in kelp beds in the Pacific. The name king crab is applied to the largest (up to 20 lb/9 kg) of the edible crabs, species native to the N Pacific and marketed frozen, canned, or fresh.
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SeaShellShop.com
SeaShellShop.com
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Funny Poem
Big Jack's Toes
In Noosa there lived a young pirate, known to his mates as Big Jack- Who loved to go fishing at weekends to a codhole he'd found off a track. One steaming hot Saturday morning Big Jack left the boat rather late- And he realised, crossing the creekbed, he'd forgotten to bring any bait.
'Never mind!', thinks Big Jack, 'I can dig some' and there in the deep oozy mud- He sees masses and masses of wormcasts - 'Now that's where my bait can be dug!'
It was then as he scraped at the wormcasts a big crab grabbed a hold of his toe- And Big Jack made high silly noises and bade the poor crab to "LET GO!"
Well by now Jack was a-hopping on three toes (the crab was still hanging on two) Till he dipped his hot toes in the water, salt water so cool and so blue-
However, the cod had all heard him and moved clear away from the spot- And though Jack tried his hardest all morning, the crab was the one bite he got!
Here's a lesson Jack learned from his sore toes and keeping them cooling all day -
If you want to catch fish for your dinner, don't frighten the poor things away.
Written by Goldie the Pirate
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Crab Recipes
Crab Cakes
Ingredients
1 slightly beaten egg
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 pound crabmeat, drained, flaked, and cartilage removed
1/4 cup finely crushed saltine crackers
Nonstick spray coating
1 medium tomato, sliced
Lemon wedges (optional)
Directions
1. In a medium mixing bowl combine egg, 1/4 cup of the yogurt, the mayonnaise or salad dressing, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, paprika, and pepper. Stir in crabmeat and crushed crackers.
2. Shape crab mixture into five 3-inch patties.
3. Spray a shallow baking pan with nonstick spray coating. Arrange patties in pan. Broil 4 to 6 inches from the heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Do not turn patties during broiling.
4. Serve crab cakes on tomato slices with remaining yogurt. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired. Makes 5 main-dish servings.
Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare crab patties; cover and chill up to 8 hours. Broil as above.
FLORIDA CRAB CAKES
Directions
1. In a medium mixing bowl combine egg, 1/4 cup of the yogurt, the mayonnaise or salad dressing, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, paprika, and pepper. Stir in crabmeat and crushed crackers.
2. Shape crab mixture into five 3-inch patties.
3. Spray a shallow baking pan with nonstick spray coating. Arrange patties in pan. Broil 4 to 6 inches from the heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Do not turn patties during broiling.
4. Serve crab cakes on tomato slices with remaining yogurt. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired. Makes 5 main-dish servings.
Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare crab patties; cover and chill up to 8 hours. Broil as above.
Ingredients
1 6-ounce package frozen crabmeat or one 6-ounce can crabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
2 green onions, finely chopped (2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 tablespoon snipped parsley
2 teaspoons snipped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
2 teaspoons Dijon-style or Creole mustard
1/2 teaspoon white wine Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons cooking oil
Salad greens (optional)
Lemon wedges (optional)
1 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickle or sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon sliced green onion
1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon diced pimiento
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Directions
Thaw crab, if frozen; set aside.
In a medium bowl combine egg, 1/4 cup of the fine dry bread crumbs, the finely chopped green onions, the 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing, 1 tablespoon parsley, thyme, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and salt. Add crab; mix well. Shape crab mixture into four 3/4 -inch-thick patties.
In a small bowl combine remaining fine dry bread crumbs and cornmeal. Coat patties with cornmeal mixture.
In a large skillet heat the cooking oil; add crab cakes. Cook over medium heat about 3 minutes on each side or until crab cakes are golden and heated through, adding additional oil, if necessary..
For tartar sauce, in a small bowl stir together the 1 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing, chopped dill pickle or sweet pickle relish, 1 tablespoon sliced green onion, 1 tablespoon parsley, the pimiento, and lemon juice. Serve crab cakes on a bed of salad greens and top with tartar sauce, if desired. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired. Makes 4 servings.
Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare and shape crab cakes but do not coat with cornmeal. Cover and chill up to 4 hours. Coat, cook, and serve as above. Prepare sauce; cover and chill up to 24 hours
Steamed Crabs
Ingredients:
Live Blue Crabs
Old Bay and/or J.O. Spice Seasoning
Coarse Kosher Salt
water
apple cider vinegar
a beer (optional)
Fill bottom of steamer with a couple inches of water. Add some of the vinegar (maybe a cup worth). Pour in the beer if desired. Heat until boiling rapidly.
Mix seasoning and coarse salt (about one-to-one ratio) for coating crabs. Add live crabs to steamer (never cook dead crabs). Coat liberally with seasoning/salt.
Steam crabs about 25 minutes, until red (not pink). You can test for doneness by trying the meat in one of the crab legs, although 25 minutes is usually sufficient.
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