Seafood lovers often enjoy eating steamed whole crab for its unique and delicious taste. However, some people find that the crab steamed this way has a fishy smell and the meat is not sweet enough.
Steaming crab is not difficult, but if you handle it wrong when putting the crab in the pot or adding water, it can affect the taste. Do you steam crab with cold water or boiling water?
Follow the steps below to steam crab better:
Clean the crab to prevent it from being fishy
When you buy crab, use a brush to scrub the outer part of the crab under running water to remove any dirt or slime. To prevent the crab from being fishy, rinse it with ginger wine. Ginger wine helps the crab not only to avoid being fishy but also enhances the flavor after steaming.
How to arrange the crab in the steaming pot
Many people often place the crab on its belly when arranging it in the pot. However, placing it on its belly can cause the sweet water inside the crab to flow out. Therefore, the proper way is to place the crab on its back, with its belly facing up so that the sweet water does not flow out.
Use cold water to prevent the crab from shedding
When steaming crab, add a little cold water to the bottom of the pot. Just a small amount, enough for the water to evaporate, do not add too much. Adding too much water will make the sweet water mix with the steaming water. Moreover, if you use hot water, the crab’s legs will shed quickly. Cold water helps the crab to cook slowly, resulting in a sweeter taste. If you use hot water, the crab will not cook evenly, leading to bland meat and the sweet water leaking out.
Add some ginger wine or beer while steaming
Instead of using cold water, you can use beer and a little ginger wine in the steaming pot to make the crab more aromatic and have a beautiful red color.