How to Cook Stone Crab Claws? Simple Methods
Don't know how to cook stone crab claws? You'll understand after reading this article.
How to Cook Stone Crab Claws?
Prepare the ingredients:
Select fresh stone crab claws to ensure the meat is tender.
Also prepare an appropriate amount of ginger slices, scallions, cooking wine, steamed fish soy sauce, and cooking oil.
Prepare the stone crab claws:
Clean the stone crab claws with a brush. Pay attention to the joints and crevices of the crab claws to avoid any remaining sand affecting the taste.
After cleaning the stone crab claws, use kitchen scissors to cut off a small section of the tip of the crab claws to make them cook better when steamed.
Steaming tips:
First, add an appropriate amount of water, ginger slices, scallions, and 1 tablespoon of cooking wine to a steamer. Bring the water to a boil over high heat.
After the water boils, put the stone crab claws in the steamer and steam for 8 - 12 minutes.
You can set the time according to the size of the crab claws. Smaller crab claws can be steamed for about 8 minutes, and larger ones for 12 minutes.
Prepare the dipping sauce:
Pour an appropriate amount of steamed fish soy sauce, minced garlic, minced garlic (should probably be something else here, perhaps it's a typo? If not, we keep it as is), and a few drops of cooking oil into a bowl and stir well.
Plate and enjoy:
After the stone crab claws are steamed, take them out and put them on a plate. Serve with the dipping sauce to enjoy the tender taste.
What is the Best Way to Eat Stone Crab Claws?
There are many ways to cook stone crab claws, such as steaming, boiling, roasting, and stir-frying. As long as you control the heat and time well during cooking, you can enjoy the juicy and tender taste.
Here are some of the most popular ways to eat stone crab claws that I've summarized:
Steamed: Preserving the Original Flavor
Steaming is the simplest way to eat stone crab claws and can best preserve their freshness.
Just clean the crab claws, put them in a steamer, add a few slices of ginger and scallions to remove the fishy smell, and steam over high heat for 10 - 15 minutes.
Spicy Crab Claws: Spicy, Sour, and Savory, a Great Companion for Rice
Just wash the crab claws, gently crack the shells with the back of a knife. Then heat oil in a pan, add ingredients such as ginger slices, minced garlic, dried chili peppers, and Sichuan peppercorns to sauté until fragrant. Add the crab claws and stir-fry. Season with an appropriate amount of light soy sauce, cooking wine, salt, and sugar. Finally, add a small amount of water and simmer for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with scallions and white sesame seeds before serving.
This is my favorite way of eating. It's spicy, savory, and really goes well with rice.
Drunken Crab Claws: Rich in Wine Aroma, with a Unique Flavor
This is a special marinated way of eating crab claws, rich in wine aroma and with tender meat.
After cleaning the crab claws, soak them in the prepared wine solution, seal, and refrigerate for about a day to let the crab claws fully absorb the wine aroma.
When eating, the crab meat has a faint wine aroma and a very tender texture.
Is it Better to Steam or Boil Stone Crab Claws?
I prefer steaming.
Steaming stone crab claws can preserve their freshness and nutrition to the greatest extent. During the steaming process, less moisture and nutrients are lost from the crab claws, and the meat remains tender.
When steaming stone crab claws, you can put some ginger slices and scallions on the crab claws. This not only helps to remove the fishy smell but also adds an aroma.
After steaming, you can eat them with ginger and vinegar sauce. The taste is wonderful.
Although boiling stone crab claws is also delicious, some of the freshness will be lost in the soup, and the flavor of the crab meat will be weaker when eaten directly.
How do you Know When Stone Crab Claws are Cooked?
Check the color
Raw stone crab claws are grayish-green or dark brown, with a relatively deep color. After being cooked, the color of the stone crab claws will turn orange-red or red. This is the most obvious change.
Smell the aroma
Raw stone crab claws have a faint sea fishy smell, but it's not pungent. After being cooked, the stone crab claws will emit a strong crab aroma, which feels fresh and refreshing.
Check the crab meat
Normally, the color of cooked stone crab claws will change from translucent to opaque white. Therefore, when steaming or boiling stone crab claws, you can observe the color of the crab meat inside. If the crab meat has completely turned white, it means it's cooked.
Check the cooking time
This is a crucial way of judging. Generally speaking, for medium-sized stone crab claws, steam for about 8 - 12 minutes after the water boils, or boil for 10 - 15 minutes. If they are larger, you need to extend the time.
Should I Crack Stone Crab Claws Before Cooking?
It depends on the cooking method.
First of all, if you plan to steam or boil the stone crab claws, you don't need to crack them in advance. Because when steamed or boiled, the high temperature will make the shells of the crab claws slightly softer, and the meat will expand when heated, making the crab claws easier to peel.
At the same time, not cracking the crab claws can better lock in the freshness and juice, making the taste of the stone crab claws more delicious and juicy.
However, if you plan to cook the stone crab claws by stir-frying, roasting, or frying, you need to crack them in advance. Because cooking methods such as stir-frying, roasting, or frying require the crab claw meat to be more exposed so that it can better absorb seasonings and flavors.
At the same time, cracked crab claws can be heated more evenly, avoiding the situation of overcooked or undercooked meat. But be careful when cracking the crab claws. Pay attention to the strength and method to keep the shape and appearance of the crab claws as much as possible. Don't crack them too much to affect the final plating effect.
How do you Keep Stone Crab Claws from Sticking?
Drain the moisture: Before cooking the stone crab claws, make sure to fully drain the moisture on the surface of the crab claws. If there is moisture on the surface of the crab claws, it is likely to stick to the pot when heated.
Slick the pan: Slicking the pan is a key step to prevent sticking. Heat the pan, pour an appropriate amount of cooking oil, and gently shake the pan to let the oil evenly cover the bottom of the pan. This forms a separation layer between the pan and the ingredients to prevent the crab claws from sticking.
Control the heat: Improper heat control is an important cause of sticking. If the heat is too high, the surface of the crab claws will quickly become charred and thus stick to the pan. But if the heat is too low, the crab claws will stick to the pan due to uneven heating.
Don't turn them over frequently: After the crab claws are put into the pan, don't turn them over frequently. If you turn them over when the surface of the crab claws has not fully set, it will damage the surface structure and cause sticking.
Tips:
If you notice that the stone crab claws are about to stick during the cooking process, you can add an appropriate amount of water or broth to prevent the crab claws from sticking due to high temperature.
