A traditional crab crack is one of my family’s favorite things to make when we all get together. After the crab is boiled, you dump it out on a table covered with newspaper and everyone digs in and gets crackin’. A little drawn butter and some homemade cocktail sauce is all you need to serve with the sweet blue crabs.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 40 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 2 dozen crabs plus 1 3/4 cups cocktail sauce |
Ingredients
- Two 12-ounce cans beer
- One 6-ounce can seafood seasoning, plus more for serving
- 2 Vidalia onions, coarsely chopped
- 2 dozen live blue crabs
- Melted butter, for serving
- 1 1/2 cups ketchup
- 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- For the crabs: Place a large pot of water over medium-high heat outside or indoors. (I like to use a Low Country boil/turkey frying pot.) Add the beer, seafood seasoning and onion and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes to season and allow the flavors to develop.
- For the cocktail sauce: While the water boils, stir together the ketchup, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and garlic in a medium bowl. Season with salt if desired.
- Add the crabs to the boiling water. Cook until the crabs are reddish-orange and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the crabs and spread on a table covered with newspaper or butcher paper. Sprinkle with additional seafood seasoning. Serve with melted butter and the cocktail sauce.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 24 servings |
| Calories | 82 |
| Total Fat | 1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 12 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 17 mg |
| Sodium | 241 mg |