MICROWAVE DUNGENESS

Noah II · 10-27-2003, 05:28 PM

I am hoping to take advantage of the seemingly unlimited range of experience and knowledge here on ifish.

Has anyone ever tried to microwave crab?
I can�t help but think of all the mess that could be avoided (boiling or steaming for 18 minutes) and time that might be saved by using the microwave. Since I always clean my crab before cooking that wouldn�t be a problem. Would you still have to crack the crab or would they crack themselves?
No more pots and burners and propane tanks to carry around.
Has anybody tried it? How does it work? If not, is anyone willing to try it and report back to us? I would try it but I have been threatened with serious retribution by my significant other if I try it in �her� kitchen.
Anxiously awaiting a reply

NoahII

Slugranch · 10-27-2003, 05:36 PM

Nuts! saw a microwave sitting on a small table in an RV park in Ilwaco this last weekend. Sign said free, and it works. Woulda been a prime candidate for an experiment,,,,,,Bet its gone by now,,,,,,,,,wonder about razor clams too,,,,,,,,,

Orca · 10-27-2003, 08:52 PM

http://www.alaskaseafood.org/flavor/recipes/micro.htm

Miss B Haven · 10-28-2003, 02:03 PM

I don't think so! Thawing out a previousley cooked and frozen one is one thing. Not sure I'd try cooking one in the shell but then again, wadda I know? How do ya get the salt cooked in there?

I wonder if they explode like taters (if you don't poke em). :shocked: :grin:

Somebody should try this and let us know. :grin: Unles you're single (or want to be) I'd try it outside first! :whazzup:

CATCH AND EAT · 10-28-2003, 02:12 PM

I have heard what happens to cats in the microwave. BOOM!!!!!!!! Cat fuzz everywhere. Stick to boiling. Much cooler to see that live crab curl up and fold it legs and sink into the abiss of the pot. Yummy.

The crab I got last weekend only cost me two pots. Almost worth it though. :grin:

Mello-Yello · 10-28-2003, 03:37 PM

Hmmmm, this isn't such a bad idea. The only problem I see with it is, you'd miss out on packing fresh baywater back from your trip, getting to setup your cooker (and enjoying a barley-pop), wait while the water heats(and have a couple barley-pops), dropping live crab into the boiling water while enjoying a barley-pop, waiting 18 minutes while the crabs cook (yah, another couple barley-pops), then sitting down w/a fresh-cooked crab that's too hot to hold on to, but thanks to all yer barley-pops, it don't really matter.

Mmmmmm, microwaves serve some valuable purposes, but that'll never be one for me.

To Barley-Pops and fresh-cooked crab!

Streetwalker · 10-28-2003, 07:04 PM

Mello Yello hit it, there is nothing better than cold ones on ice while heating, cooking, backing, cleaning... um what was it we were doing?

happybrew · 10-28-2003, 09:45 PM

I've cooked and frozen crab, then microwaved it, and while it wasn't as good as fresh, it made a nice addition to a stir-fry. However, I've never microwaved fresh crab. As my crabs are cooked live, I wonder if a microwaved live crab would protest its treatment by trying to get out the microwave door?

happybrew

Ragnar · 10-29-2003, 05:45 AM

Yes. I have cooked crab in the microwave. I works just fine.
I used to work on a halibut charter fishing boat out of Homer, AK. The boat had a small galley including a microwave for whatever the guests wanted to nuke. We had microwaveable popcorn on board that sometimes was a real hit. We used to pull the tanner (snow crab) pots on the way out to the halibut grounds. That's where we'd set anchor and boil up some crab right there on the deck. Talk about world class service!

Long story short..... Someone borrowed our crab boiler outfit and we didn't realize it until we got out there. We put the crab (backed, cleaned and broken in half) into a large ziplock bag. Poke a couple of small holes in the bag so it doesn't blow up. Set on high for what I thought was 4 mins (or maybe it was 2 mins?). It's been a while here folks so bear with me here. We only put two "clusters" in at a time.
Basically what you are doing when you nuke fresh crab, is boiling it in it's own juices contained within the shell. The ziplock bag captures the moisture and recirculates it.
We used this "nuked crab" techniquie right after someone made popcorn. The crab had a buttery flavor to it. Just don't burn the popcorn. [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img] Some people like me who get queezy out at sea sometimes don't much care for the whole burnt popcorm thing. :blush: :blush:
For those of you who require "crab boil" or salt for your crab eating. I've never been one to really need those things so I've never tried it in the microwave. I prefer my crab hot right out of the cooker. No added cha cha cha needed in my book.
Mmmmmmmmmmm Mmmmmmm!
Nectar of the Gods........
Good luck,
Join us next week here on Ragnar's Test Kitchen where we'll take an old fridge out back and shoot it full of holes and then make a smoker out of it. Then we'll also get into the "how to's" of cooking pigs in the ground. All this and more next week on.......
Ragnar's Test Kitchen. Ska-tah!

Noah II · 10-29-2003, 01:41 PM

OH MAN
Ragnar, you convinced me. Now I really want to try it, It's just that I have this big threat hanging over my head.
I ask myself if I'm a man or a mouse, then I remember how much I like cheese.
OceanBlue, where are you? How about testing out Ragnar's Recipe for us and giving a report. You could call it Crabby Surprise if you like. [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img]

Maybe I could just put a crab in my pocket and head down the the local 7-11 and sneak it into their nuker.

I can see it now as I walk im "Do you have a Crab in your pocket or are you just glad to see me"

What to do ... What to do
NoahII

Miss B Haven · 10-29-2003, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Noah II:

I can see it now as I walk im "Do you have a Crab in your pocket or are you just glad to see me"

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Argggggggghhh! I just got my ribs fixed from "tunabears" and now this!

Noah II · 10-30-2003, 01:40 PM

In my unrelenting quest to find a way enjoy fresh tasting Crab some time after coming home from the Coast, may I ask you Dungeness Aficionados' another question.
Has any one ever tried Vacuum packing and freezing cleaned uncooked crab?
When you cookd it later (and how much later)how did it taste?
I mean,, just think about it. Come home from work. Toss a crab in the Nuker, pop a Bud,lean back & enjoy fresh tasting hot crab, all in less than 10 minutes with no fuss & no muss!

zOh by the way, Mello-Yello, Streetwalker and Happybrew, I notice you cook your crab live before cleaning. Just curious, but how do you roast a chicken? :grin:

NoahII

happybrew · 10-30-2003, 06:18 PM

Actually, many years ago on a Boy Scout campout, we brought along a live chicken to eat. We slaughtered it (they twitch for a really long time after the head is gone), and cooked it. Parts were probably still alive when the cooking started.

:tongue:

happybrew

apparentgenius · 10-30-2003, 08:31 PM

Tried freezing cleaned raw crab before. Pretty tough to clean and nasty once cooked.