Barbecued Blue Crabs

An incredibly delicious treat that you can serve as an appetizer or entrée. Catching your own blue crabs adds greatly to the fun and enjoyment of this recipe. Check out our Let’s Go Crabbing feature in this issue. Provides four entrée portions or enough for eight appetizers. Great entrée sides could be boiled new potatoes, sweet corn and sausage.

Ingredients

• 24 live blue crabs
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups butter
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons Zatarain’s Concentrated Liquid Crab Boil
• 1 tablespoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

• Preheat grill to medium-low, about 300°.
• Scald crabs with hot water to stun. Remove the back (top shell) from each crab, and clean out gills, lungs, and center of each. Crack the claws, but do not remove bottom shell, legs or claws. Sprinkle with salt and cayenne.
• In large saucepan, combine butter, lemon juice, liquid boil seasoning, lemon-pepper, Worcestershire Sauce, garlic powder, and paprika. Heat low until butter is melted. Apply 1/3 of sauce to crabs with basting brush.
• Place crabs on grill, cavity down, close grill lid and cook 10 minutes. Flip crabs, and fill cavities with more butter sauce. Close the lid, and cook 10 to 15 minutes additional. Cooking time will vary with crab size.
• Brush crabs with remaining butter sauce and serve immediately.