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bernie-woman
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bernie-woman
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Jonnyboy
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dpack
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bernie-woman
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bernie-woman
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Jonnyboy
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judith
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bernie-woman
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 7824 Location: shropshire
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dougal
Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Posts: 7184 Location: South Kent
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bernie-woman
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 7824 Location: shropshire
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 07 11:17 am Post subject: |
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Just been signposted to this from last Saturdays Guardian
Shell out on crab
Nikki Duffy
Saturday February 24, 2007
The Guardian
� Now is the best time for brown crab - they're in peak condition and full of meaty flesh. You should be able to get hold of them fresh at any fishmonger. If you're buying ready-picked crab, ask if it's been frozen: if it has, it will lack the lovely, firm texture and fresh flavour of a just-cooked crab, so probably should not be served unadorned in a salad, say. It's best to order live crab. Get the fishmonger to boil them for you, or do it yourself at home (you'll need a big saucepan). Use a good illustrated guide to help, such as the one in Rick Stein's Seafood (BBC Books).
� Male brown crabs (cocks) are a bit larger than females (hens), and their big claws are full of white meat. Hens are said to have sweeter brown meat. So it pays to buy one of each, really.
� The odd warning bell has sounded in terms of reduced catches in some areas. No one is suggesting we stop eating crab, but do shop with care: never buy very small crabs, but go for large, mature specimens that have had a chance to reproduce. Minimum landing size is around 120mm-140mm across the carapace, but it is easy to find much bigger. Don't buy a 'berried' female (ie, one with a mass of red roe under her abdomen) or just claws on their own: the bodies may well have been thrown back into the sea unused. If you want to be really careful, buy crab from the Inshore Potting Agreement area in Devon, a model of a well-managed, sustainable fishery (01548 580446 for details), though this crab tends to be sold locally, so is not that easy to get hold of if you don't live in the south-west.
� For mail order, wetfishshop.com is a good source and cooks crabs to order (Wednesdays and Thursdays are the best days to place an order).
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 46217 Location: yes
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