What's the best way, to cook Whole Dungenous Crab? What parts do you eat?

Question

They are about 1 1/4 lbs. each. They have eyes and all.

Answer 1

Just drop them into a huge pot of boiling, well salted water. (It should taste as salty as the ocean - use sea salt for this about 1/2 cup of salt per gallon of water.) Cooking time is about 18-20 minutes. Let them cool down first, then clean out the body cavity. When you're ready to serve, you can reheat them in a steamer basket for about 2 minutes, then it'll be ready to eat.

The cooking instructions vary for fresh vs. previously cooked crabs. 8 minutes is definitely not long enough for uncooked crab.

Here's a website detailing it...

http://www.oregondungeness.org/cooking.shtml

Answer 2

My favorite way is to put a can of beer and a can of water plus salt, pepper, an onion (whole)
a lemon (cut in half) and hot chilies ( optional)
in a big pot or steamer. bring it to a boil , toss in the crabs and cook for only 8 to 10 minutes
with the lid on. chill and serve. You eat the claws and the body too. You will need something to crack them open. A nut cracker works fine ENJOY