# Who has the best neighbor !?!?!?!? ME !!!!



## shoneyboy (May 24, 2012)

Ok, just so happen today, my neighbor brought me 5 dozen crabs, so I took some pictures of what I like to put in when I boil them….basically I use the same recipe as I would use for crawfish…..Here are some picture of what type of seasoning and some of the veggies I like to put in when boiling anything like this…..It is endless to what you can add and is mostly personal preference….In the past, after removing the seafood I have dropped a raw egg into the seasoned water…..kind of poaches it, which I usually hate, but poached in crab boil seasoning, I could eat 4 easily….Well enough talking here are some pictures of the crabs….. 
	

		
			
		

		
	







	

		
			
		

		
	
I love these little red potato boiled in crab boil, but to take them the next day and cut them up and deep fry them.....OMG !!! They are sooooo good!!!! 
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
Liquid crab boil ....
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
Powder crab boil........
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
Salt.....
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
Cook veggies until tender, then add crabs, bring back to a boil for 2 minutes....then turn them off....allow them to sit in the pot of liquid for 20-30 minutes to soak up some of the seasonings....
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
Drain the liquid off....then enjoy.....MMMmmmm!!!!!! Crabs ......


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## chef jimmyj (May 24, 2012)

I am going to save some of the Crawfish boil liquid to poach eggs on Sunday. I love Blue Crabs but I am the only one that eats them. It ain't no fun sitting a couple of hours by yourself pickin' and poundin' Beers...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





...JJ


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## jirodriguez (May 24, 2012)

Chef JimmyJ said:


> I am going to save some of the Crawfish boil liquid to poach eggs on Sunday. I love Blue Crabs but I am the only one that eats them. It ain't no fun sitting a couple of hours by yourself pickin' and poundin' Beers...
> 
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> 
> ...


Hell Jimmy... you just about described and ideal Saturday to me... only thing missing is the football game, and my big dog snorring at my feet!


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## shoneyboy (May 25, 2012)

@ JJ, when you drain them, watch were you dump the liquid. We usually just dump it in a ditch, but be aware it can and will kill any grass u dump it on……It will work like Round-up….. I sometimes wonder why I eat this stuff...but the taste is unimaginably good !!! You can dump it down the drain, but with the amount we are usually dealing with it is too much of a mess for the kitchen drain….


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## diggingdogfarm (May 25, 2012)

Shoneyboy said:


> It will work like Round-up



:icon_eek:



















~Martin :biggrin:


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## rbranstner (May 25, 2012)

Oh man I wish I could dig into that with you.


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## athabaskar (May 25, 2012)

I don't like to tell people what they _should _do, but I'm thinking it would be a good idea to mow your neighbor's yard. Then he'll think he has the best neighbor too!


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## shoneyboy (May 25, 2012)

I have mowed his yard, I let him borrow my tools and I have helped him work on his kid’s vehicle too.... One of the best neighbors I have ever had yet!!!!


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## rbranstner (May 25, 2012)

It's awesome when you have a good neighbor. I have one of those right now but we are moving next month so we are a little nervous to see who we will be living next to in the future. Hopefully there will be someone in the area who likes smoked meat.


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## shoneyboy (May 25, 2012)

Well have you given Louisiana any thoughts ????
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 Everyone likes food around here !!! Expecially smoked meats.....


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## scarbelly (May 25, 2012)

Good neighbors are hard to find and it looks like you really found a good one - congrats


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## oldschoolbbq (May 25, 2012)

Yeah , good neighbors are hard to find... I really miss my 'Bud' in Temple ; his Dad had a Shrimp boat in Freeport and was always bringing me something good 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





.

Too faro get the good stuff anymore..


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## moikel (May 25, 2012)

Looks like a great way to eat crab ,new to me way down here. Looks like a great traditional way to cook them.Crabs look pretty close to what we call a blue swimmer in some states & a manna crab in others.


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## moikel (May 29, 2012)

I am posting again because I really like the fact that this is traditional cookery that has obviously been done for a long time and you obviously are the master of it. Its got a bit of a french feel but thats probably a long way back in its history. I have seen crawfish boils on TV shows,nothing like it here. Specialized mix like Zatarains only makes it more intriguing .

We just boil them in salted water or they get chopped into 1/4 s for mixed seafood dishes. Asian cookery another thing.

Those big mudcrabs I put in ChefJJ S thread while we are all killing time are another matter.Everybody up north that fishes from a boat will throw in a few crabpots in a tidal creek. On my last big tropical expedition we would get 10-12 a day,& that was the starter back at camp for dinner.

Only problem is the crocodiles that get attracted by the activity. Here is camp set up


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## diesel (May 29, 2012)

I was raised on blue crabs.  There is nothing like sitting around the picnic table seeing which is higher, the pile of crab shells or the beer cans.  One thing I have noticed is in the deep south (LA) they boil the crabs.  Here in VA we steam them. 

I have had them cooked both ways and enjoy both just as much.

Nice work.


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## shoneyboy (May 29, 2012)

Diesel, How do they season them when they steam them ????


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## mdboatbum (May 29, 2012)

Chef JimmyJ said:


> It ain't no fun sitting a couple of hours by yourself pickin' and poundin' Beers...
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I'm going to assume that's sarcasm :)

I'm from the same school of thought (and region) as Diesel, more of a steamer than a boiler. I have however boiled them in a mock low country boil, and enjoyed them just as much.

Nothing quite like a whole mess of crabs in a steamer, with about 3" of Natty Boh, some cider vinegar, a few bay leaves, and a shot of Worcestershire sauce in the bottom, and about 2 cups of Old Bay sprinkled evenly on the crabs. You gotta leave enough room at the top of the pot for a half dozen or so ears of Eastern Shore supersweet white corn, still in the husks. 20 minutes later dump it out on a newspaper covered picnic table (waterview not required, but really adds to the whole experience) , pour a beer out of the pitcher and commence the destruction. You'll know you're doing well when the pile of shells in the middle of the table obscures the view of the person sitting across from you.My stomach is actually starting to growl as I type this!


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## moikel (May 30, 2012)

Shoneyboy this is your thread not mine but do you mind if I  stick my Singapore Chilli Crab on the end of it?I am happy to start a fresh thread but given there are a bunch of crab eaters/cooks
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  tuned into this one it might be easier.Dont want to hijack it
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Singapore Chilli  Crab is a real crab fanciers dish down here both in restaurants & homes,we Aussies have adopted & adapted it.Lot of recipes out there ,mine is an adaption of one I know came out of  Darwin via a chef called Peter Evans.

I will have to use our Blue Swimmer crabs those big mud crabs are the same price as lobster
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





.Up in Darwin a good neighbour will give you a few,just make sure the claws are tied up down here you got to shell out a big one could easy be $ 40-50


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## shoneyboy (May 30, 2012)

Moikel, I don’t mind you hijacking this thread, it is not mine it is ours. The only thing I ask for, is the recipe
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





, this sounds like something I would like to try
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





….Is it spicy? I know that I don't have to tell you this, but if you are

going to post something this intriguing on this thread I feel that I have to put it out there,
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  ............


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## rabbithutch (May 30, 2012)

Having lived in central Texas for nearly 20 years, I found that the choices for seafood are poor.   Most people around here think seafood is pond-raised catfish, canned tuna, or salmon.  I grew up in central NC and spent many weeks and weekends on the coast.  Blue crabs were always a fine meal.  I was in the local supermarket (HEB) this past weekend and noticed a bunch of people standing around a bin gawking at the contents.  I went over and it was a mess of blue crabs.  I don't believe many (if any) of the folks standing around had ever see them before.  I reached down and picked one up to show the kids how they will wave their arms and 'snap' their claws.  

What puzzled me was that the crabs were not on ice.  In all the years that I've bought crab, they either came fresh out of the water from a crab pot or they were sold in stores on ice or in a refrigerated display.  Am I the weird one?  I'm not sure I'd trust myself to eat crab  that had been out of the water a long spell without being refrigerated.  How about you?


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## shoneyboy (May 30, 2012)

As long as they are alive....I would eat them. If they are dead, I’m reluctant to eat them. My neighbor caught them and iced them down for transportation. It kind of keeps them fresh and slows their metabolic rate (their not eating so they are feeding on the meat in their body = not as full/meaty) and it keeps them from molting (sheading their shell= Soft shell crabs= fantastic meal!!) These are good, but I think the best crabs I ever ate were fresh out of the water. I took the kids fishing a couple years ago and the fish were not biting. So we bought a couple crab traps and some chicken legs (cheap). We turned them loose to catch some… The first day they had so many crabs we lost count. I was giving them away, but the 2[sup]nd[/sup] day I told them I would boil them some if they wanted. By the end of the day we had about 12 dozen that we cooked. We ate all we could, gave some away and still and some to take home the next day….man that was fun though!!!!


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## moikel (May 30, 2012)

Shoneyboy said:


> Moikel, I don’t mind you hijacking this thread, it is not mine it is ours. The only thing I ask for, is the recipe
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I will put the full recipe with it, & pics the Peter Evans version is the benchmark down here so I  will do it as per It can be as spicy as you want.There is a basic fishing camp version but I will do the full restaurant version. Give me a couple of days I want to buy crab as fresh as possible at the big fish market. I grabbed some ingredients today but the crabs I saw were not up to scratch.

I think it started as a dish from  Malaysia I cook a bit of that style of food from time to time its sort of a fusion of chinese ,malay & Indian. Pretty spicy but also distinctive in style. I posted a few dishes way back.


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## shoneyboy (May 31, 2012)

Moikel, I didn't mean to put you out, I would have been satisified with just a recipe......but you know a picture is worth a 1000 words.....Thanks SB


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## moikel (May 31, 2012)

Shoneyboy you are not putting me out.Not one little bit.Some of the most fun I  have with this forum is showing stuff thats way down here & feeding people. My friends & employees get bacon,cheese,fish roe etc. Its just what I  have done for many years thanks to what I  have learned on this forum I  now have a much bigger range of stuff. I think I  get it from my late mother. Pity I  didnt get some photography skills.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I also do contra with chefs,my butcher that sort of thing.

I am at the big fish market which services this city of 4 million on saturday ,its only 10 minutes from my house but thankfully out of smell range.Its mullet roe time & sardine season so I was already going.I can swap 2 jars of preserved sardines for 7kg leg of alpaca its just the work that goes into the salting ,pressing etc. 300gm preserved fish roe = bottle of wine from a gratefull chef.

Chilli crab the Aussie way is really something,I will knock it out saturday then take it over to feed 6 of us watching our football team play on TV.

Stay tuned,I will try to take some shots at the market if I see something that might be new to you.


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## shoneyboy (May 31, 2012)

I look forward to seeing your pictures and "Thanks" ShoneyBoy


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## rednecksmokin (May 31, 2012)

If I were to do a crawfish boil, and Im from WI so a Crayfish boil.   How long would it take to cook the little monsters?  

Also, what do I need to do to them before boiling?


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## shoneyboy (May 31, 2012)

For every person you ask you will get a different answer, but here is what I do. I start the water off with the seasonings in it. Depending on how “HOT” and how much you are going to boil, I add the powder seasonings, now it can get salty, so I try not to use much. For the crabs I used about 3 heaping serving spoons full. Then I added some of the liquid crab boil which is just hot with no salt, then if I want them hotter, I will add a little cayenne powder. Now remember that this will transferee to your skin and some people are sensitive and all of this can and will make you fingers, lips and other body parts feel like they are on fire if they are too hot, so be careful with what body part you touch
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





….…. I bring the mixture to a boil adding my potatoes, onions and garlic. You can add anything that you like, I have put carrots, celery, artichokes, asparagus, yellow squash, corn, mushrooms and eggs just to name a few of the things we have tried. They is no limit to what you can put in it…. (FYI doesn’t put anything that is tender until the end. Like the artichokes, asparagus, yellow squash, corn, mushrooms and eggs until the end or they will over cook and fall apart. You want to just poach them in the liquid) I let the mixture boil until the potatoes are tender, not soft, poke them with a knife to see if they are hard the middle and soft on the outside. Once I get them were I want them I will add the Crawfish….as far as cleaning the crawfish I will wash them with clean water several times to make sure that there is no mud or dirt on them and get out anything I don’t want to eat out of them, like bait, grass or dead ones…. Now I will crank up my burner to get a good rolling boil…..then add the crawfish….I bring them back to a boil and time it….3 minutes then turn the burner off….At this time I will add the lemons( I always forget to do this), squeeze the juice out of them then throw them in the pot…..I will let them soak for about 10-15 minutes….then start to cool them off in an ice bath (I set the pot in a #2 wash tub filled with water and continue to run water in it and add a bag of ice….this will help stop the cook process and get them to start to soak up more of the seasonings….. at the 15-20 minute mark I start tasting them….Once they have the flavor I like we will either dump the liquid off or if we have more to boil, I will just take them out of pot with the basket and dump them in an ice chest ( keeps the bugs away) or on the table….# 1 rule when cooking crawfish, have plenty of cayenne pepper antidote on hand, you will need beer and not just any beer, but some of the coldest beer you can get
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





….….LOL jk….. Butter for the corn and potatoes and I don’t eat it, but cocktail sauce for the crawfish and crackers…. It is really up to your taste and what you want….. Hope this helps and Good Luck….If you have any other questions that I did not answer feel free to ask …..ShoneyBoy


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## moikel (May 31, 2012)

I will just tidy up this end,these are mudcrab
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
sfrom our tropics. A big guy might 1.5 kgYes they can be found as far south as my weekender  at Greenwell Point but its our tropical north where they are in big numbers. Down south they cost stupid $ but getting mudcrabs from Darwin  to Sydney alive is the same as getting live seafood from Miami to Maine.If you live in the north its another matter.

The chilli crab I will do is an Aussie adaption of Malaysian food.It will work in principle for lobster,crab,shrimp. I will put the full restaurant version in & you can see where it takes you.


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## tjohnson (Jun 1, 2012)

I need to move to your hood

Awesome!

Todd


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## moikel (Jun 1, 2012)

TJohnson said:


> I need to move to your hood
> 
> Awesome!
> 
> Todd


I want Shoneyboys neighbour .If he wont come to me I will have to come to him.


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## moikel (Jun 1, 2012)

I am going to post the recipe & a few pix but not cook this now.If I  do it today I have to make it the transport it then reheat it.Not ideal, & not really  watching the game on TV sort of food.M
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
ud crabs are in the market in big numbers & AAA grade.Season in full swing as the "dry" season rolls on up north..

They were at $21 a kg which is really good will do this for the wife later in the week.

You can see why they tie them up!


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## shoneyboy (Jun 1, 2012)

Can't wait to see this one .....


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## moikel (Jun 2, 2012)

These are nice too,Balmain Bugs ,from the slipper lobster family.

Anyway here is recipe that I will Qview later this week.

Enough crab for 4 people 4x mudcrab.6 tabs nut oil,8 cloves of garlic,4 sweet peppers 4 tabs finely chopped ginger ,1 cup tomato ketchup 1/2 cup sweet chilli sauce 11/2 cups chicken stock or water 6 tabs hoisin siace 1 cup chopped spring onions,1 cup mix Mint ,cilantro,Vietnamese mint 2 tabs chopped cilantro root 2 tabs fish sauce 1-2 teasp sugar 2 teas sea salt 30 cherry tomatoes cut in half.

How you kill live crab is up to you ,clean take out gills etc.Cut into  convenient size bits 
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
,crack claws so sauce can get in.

Heat oil in wok or similiar add garlic,ginger,cilantro root,chilli cook until fragrant .Add crabs cook a minute toss,add ketchup,chilli sauce,stock,hoi sin &fish sauce sugar & salt.Stir bring to boil cover cook 10 minutes.Then add green onions,tomatoes & herbs.Stir to combine .Thats it.

Pretty simple really but so much of the best cookery is. If you want it spicy just add the chilli sauce or product of your choice to bump the heat or a teaspoon of Malaysian curry powder at start.Or put fresh chilli in with the sweet peppers.

A little lime juice wouldnt hurt it. The sugar & salt amounts are up to you to change if thats your taste.I use palm sugar but white is fine.

This is the Peter Evans recipe,in a fishing camp it wouldnt have all the ingredients like cherry tomatoes . I just make this as per its just such a good recipe.


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## moikel (Jun 2, 2012)

These guys are nice too but fiddley to eat ,Spanner crabs to us because of the claw shape


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## moikel (Jun 3, 2012)

If I  have got this computer stuff right this should be a pretty good little clip of a guy from Darwin who knows how to crab. Check the tying style.


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## rabbithutch (Jun 4, 2012)

Great video!  Looks like that young man had a lot of fun and caught some good eating, too.  Neat trick for tying up the crabs.

Thanks for posting the link.


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