Create the best crab party of the season

Getting ready for a crab party

Start by deciding how many people you want to invite to the crab party. That makes it easier to plan the meal you are going to serve, whether you go for a simple potluck-style gathering where everyone brings a crab dish of their own, or you want to make a gourmet dinner for four. However many people you choose to share the evening with, crab is a guaranteed success on the table.

Need to have

A lobster fork or tweezers should be on the table (for getting at the good crab meat)

Nutcracker (for the crab claws)

Bowls of water for washing your fingers

Napkins/wet wipes (crab is finger food)

Nice to have

Lemon and pepper on the table

A plastic tablecloth (one that is easy to wipe clean)

Flowers and candles

Something good in the glass – a full-bodied white wine or a beer goes down well at a crab party

Important when preparing crab

There is a big difference in how much meat there is in the crab shells. The most important thing to think about when you are buying crab is to choose the crabs with a hard shell. These are the oldest crabs, and this increases the chances that there is plenty of meat in them and helps make the crab party a success. We recommend allowing two crabs per person. Do buy a few extra crab claws as well, as claw meat is considered the best meat on the crab – the real delicacy.

You can choose whether to boil the crab and serve it with various accompaniments, or to make different dishes with the meat. The possibilities are many, and you will find inspiration for everything from crab sushi to crab quiche in our wide-ranging recipe gallery.

How do you boil crab?

Many people have asked us how to boil crab, and we have a few tips that are absolutely essential for getting the perfect crab meat. In short: bring a large pan of water to the boil with a little salt in it. Wait until it is boiling hard before you put the crabs in the pan. Once you have let them come back to the boil briefly, leave them to poach for 20-25 minutes (depending on size).

Then leave the crabs on their backs until they have cooled – this gives the best texture and the juiciest crab meat. After that, all you have to do is use the meat in the dishes you have planned, cold as well as hot. You now have everything you need to turn a crab party into an unforgettable feast of flavours.

How do you clean the crab properly?

If you have not eaten crab before, it is worth taking a look at our guide on how to clean crab before the crab party gets going. There are some parts of the crab that have to be removed, such as the stomach sac and the gills. If you would rather not clean the crab yourself, you can ask your fishmonger to do the job for you.

Be creative with the accompaniments

Now that the crab is boiled and cleaned, all you have to do is let your creativity blossom – do season the meat with pepper and lemon before serving, and let the accompaniments take care of the different flavour combinations. Traditionally, white bread, lemon, dill and mayonnaise go well with shellfish, but use your imagination instead and make some good dips to go alongside. Try chilli mayonnaise, avocado cream, tzatziki or aioli, and do experiment with different herbs such as basil or thyme. Crab meat is very versatile and works with all sorts of flavour combinations.

Now all that is left is to look forward to it and enjoy the crab party!