How to enjoy Bairdi Crab
Bairdi Crab from Southeast Alaska is pre-cooked and flash frozen to preserve freshness, so it’s as succulent and sweet as the day it was harvested. Yakobi Fisheries offers a 19.8 pound case, that holds 3 x 6.6 pound boxes. The crab season starts annually on February 17th, and typically lasts about 1 week, or until the quota is caught by the local fishermen. It’s a small but popular fishery. Most of the harvested crab is delivered to a local processor in Juneau, sorted by size and grade, and immediately steam-cooked and then flash frozen. The half clusters are neatly arranged into 6.6 pound boxes to be sold.
Preparation is so easy! The trick is to not dry out the meat, so try one of these methods;
💥 Chilled. (The easiest method) Remove a section (or 5) from the freezer, and allow to thaw naturally in the fridge on a plate or bowl. Enjoy chilled with warm herb-infused butter and an ice-cold Rainier.
💥 Steamed. Set a steamer basket or colander at the bottom of a large pot, and fill with a couple of inches of water, leaving a space between the basket and water. Cover and boil, then add the crab sections and steam for 8-10 minutes. Remove with tongs and devour. (Work in batches if you’re serving a crew.)
💥 Grilled. This can be done with charcoal or a gas grill. Scooch the coals to one side of the grill, or for gas, turn on just one side. Add a pan with with water over this side- the direct heat. Close the lid to build up some steam, then open er’ back up and add the crab legs to the other side. Steam for 10-15 minutes. Rearrange about half way through to warm evenly. Serve with an evening sunset.
💥 Baked. THE BEST WAY (some would say) is to reheat in the oven. Preheat your oven to 350. Set up a roasting pan and wire rack, with about 1 inch of water. Arrange the crab legs on the rack and cover with foil. Add a couple of steam holes with a fork. Bake for 3-5 minutes (from FROZEN or thawed). Remove once they’re good and hot - remember, they’re already cooked, you just want to warm those delicious bad boys up. Enjoy with a nice white wine your friends provided.
⚠ Microwave. Why do this? Yes, it works, no, we don’t recommend it. 🤨
Here are some additional recipes for the culinarily crab-curious customer;