Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-06
Table and Kitchen.
The Unique and Delicately Favored
Crab

| able crabs, ranging from the deep-sea crab,
| that grows as large and with claws as
| heavy as the largest lobster down to
| the little miniature crustacean, the oys-
| ter crab, which is found in the same shell
with the oyster. Oyster crabs are con-
| sidered a great delicacy, more, We opine,
| because of their scarcity than on account
| of their real goodness Fiddler crabs,
| which are but a trifle larger than the
| oyster crab, are utilized as a substitute
| for the latter when the oyster crab is
| scarce or out of season. The fiddler crab
| has nature and habits quite the opposite
| of the little creature that passes its life
| in the darkness and seclusion of the oys-
terS protecting shell, for this most sin
| gular of living creatures loves the sun
| shine, though it lives in moist burrows
in the sand of the seashore. The most
| peculiar feature is the strange hddlng
motion they make as they emerge in count
| less thousands from the mouth of their
| burrows-if no intruder is in the neigh
| borhood. They have one large claw almost
| as large as the body, which they extend,
| and across this they draw the other claw
| of diminutive size, giving very good
| imitation of violin playing. The large
| claw when not used in this manner is
| folded across in front like a shield. These
| crabs are used for bait.
| The deep-sea crabs are the kind to
|
| crab, hot and cold, is an old English dish.
| and, while it requires much patience in
the picking, produces most excellent
dish.
The common small blue crab is an ed
| ible variety that is found in all parts of
| the world, and from these are made most
| of the well-known ordinary preparations
| of crab. These crabs are chiefly valued
| in markets in the east and south when
| in a state known as soft she'll" This
| is during the period when the crab casts
| its old shell and while the new one is
still unhardened. The season lasts only
four months-May, June, July and August
During July and August they are con-
sidered the best Crabs are obtainable
at any time. but are apt to be stringy and
light in weight when out of season.
The composition of the crab is practically
the same as the lobster-both consist of
two distinct parts; the flesh, contained in
the claws and tail, and the body-consisting
chiefly of liver. The general composition
of it's parts are first water, then proteld,and
q small amount of fat.
The meat of the crab is more digestible
than that of lobster. though both are rather
unsuited for weak digestions on account of
the cCarseness and density of the hbers and
thickness of their walls. Acids, such as
vinegar and lemon juice, help to soften the
fibers and also neutralize the ammoniacal
salts apt to be present. The meat in the
body of the crab and lobster often disagrees
with people owing to the fat contained IN
the liver and possibly, also, from the occa-
sional development in it of an irritant
| poison When removing the meat from
| the shells be careful to take out the stom-
| ach-iust under the head-the dead meat
| or gills and the intestine. When possible
| buy your crabs alive, for unless they are
| cooked very soon after being caught the
| meat loses much OF the sweetness ana
| Characteristic flavor.
! Perhans the most popular of all the crab
| meat dishes is deviled crab. A discussion
/ of many years standing over the relative
| merits of two methods of preparing them IN
| this manner is still unsettled, and we leave
! it to our housewives to decide, individually,
which of the several ways they prefer
A Standard Recipe for Deviled Crabs.
! Take a dozen heavy, hard-shelled crabs
Boil them five minutes, then add table
spoonful of salt and boil thirty minutes.
/ Drain, open and pick out all the meat,
wash and wipe the shells. Heat a cup of
cream in small saucepan. Rub table
spoonful of flour. four of butter and a
teaspoonful of mustard together and mix
with the hot cream. Stir and COOK three min
utes, then remove from the fire. ADD the
crab meat, tablespoonful of chopped pars-
| lev one tablespoonful of lemon juice, quar-
ter of a grated nutmeg. salt and pepper TO
taste. Mix without stirring much or the
! meat will be stringy. FIJI the sheiiS anu
| sprinkle we'll with crumbs. Put plts OF
| butter over the crumbs and place the shells
| in a baking pan, bake in hot oven until
| crumbs are nicely Drowned. Use parsley
and the crab claws to garnish the olsh.
Deviled Crabs-Southern Style.
! The picked meat from dozen boiled,
| hard-shelled crabs Mix with 1t an equal
quantity of fine bread crumbs; season to
taste with salt pepper and cayenne. sur
two ounces of butter to light cream and
mix with a small teaspoonful OF mustard
powder; add a tablespoonful of cream and
| then a little at time, stir IN the crap
| meat and crumbs. Fill the crab SheiiSi
| snrinkIe with bread crumbs; add bits OF
| butter and bake in the oven until brown
| Ordinarily a crab shell will hold the meat
| of two crabs.
A Northern Way.
| For a dozen shells allow sixteen crabs Oh
! q dozen for nine shells. Remove the meat
| from the boiled crabs without mincing. Pu'
| half a pint of cream or rich milk in double
| boiler to scald. Rub three level tablespoon
| fuls of butter with one of flour and mix
with the hot milk and stir until thick and
smooth, then add the hard-boiled yoiks OF
| four eggs rubbed to smooth paste with q
! LITTLE cream, tablespoonful OF minced
| narsIey salt paprica and lemon juice to
| taste little mustard may be added II de-
| sired The mixture should be quite creamy,
not dry; have shells carefully washed and
| dried. fill with the mixture, rounding up
| we'll and leaving no place for the fat to
| enter in frying. Smooth over and brush
| with beaten egg, then cover well with bread
| crumbs Brush all egg and crumbs from
| the shells and rub them with a little butter
| or oil in which they are fried. Have suffi-
cient hot fat in frying kettle to cover the
crabs put two at time in frying basket
| and immerse in the fat for a few minutes
| to color them a delicate brown and make
| very hot. Serve on a bed of parsley with
| garnish of cut lemon and crab claws
Buttered Crabs.
| Remove the meat from large hard-shell
crabs, cut it up small and mix with bread
| crumbs In equal quantity, little minced
| parsley and season to taste with salt and
CAYENNE Pack into the shells that have
| been we'll cleaned; squeeze a little lemon
| juice over them, cover with bread crumbs
| and bits of butter and bake in a moderate
| oven until nicely Drowned.
Crabs, Ravigote.
Take twelve good-sized crabs to fill half
| dozen shells. Boil, drain and let them get
cold. Then laying them a board with
| hard-shell side down, cut the breast away
using a sharp pointed knife. Remove the
meat, picking out any pieces of shell in it;
| season with a very little salt and pepper
| Mix with enough thick remoulade sauce to
I bind nicely. Fill up the shells, cover with