To Boil Crabs, Lobsters, and Crayfish
Ingredients
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
Add a handful of coarse sea salt to the boiling water.
Carefully plunge in the crab or lobster.
Boil a large crab or lobster for about 15 minutes; smaller ones will take less time.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Crab or lobster
- Provides the main protein; cooking sets the firm, opaque texture of the meat.
The step that matters
Carefully plunge in the crab or lobster. Dropping a live shellfish into rapidly boiling water causes splashing and burns, and adding it all at once sharply cools the water. Lowering it carefully and keeping the water at a rolling boil helps the cooking time stay consistent.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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