Cooking SD Bay Crab

[ship 4 brains]

I went out last night and got 2 legal bugs. First time out, sweet!

I also pulled in a bunch of crabs. My buddy said that they are good to eat, so I kept them. He said to just boil them in salt water. Is that right?

Any other suggestions?

[socal_matt]

I personally wouldn't keep a crab from the bay, but when I do keep them(when I catch them outside the bay) I usually just boil them in freshwater for about 10 or so minutes, then melt some butter and have a great meal.

[Baja_Traveler]

I wouldn't hesitate to keep anything from say Harbor Island on out. I think the water is pretty clean out there being flushed by the tides every day. The inner bay however I don't think I'd keep...

[T-Rex]

It helps to add sea salt or kosher salt to the water (try not to use iodized salt). 1 tablespoon per quart or 1/4 cup per gallon of water. It makes a huge difference for lobsters, less so for crabs.