Crab, lobster?

[womble]

We're going on holiday to the north Norfolk coast for a couple of days and I know there is crab and lobster for sale over there.
But as I live a long way from the sea, I've no idea at all what to buy, or what to do with it

Do I buy live crab or cooked ones, or do I buy lobster.... can you even buy it at this time of the year?

And when I've got it, what do I do with it?

Sorry, I'm a complete dunce when it comes to sea food, but I really want to try something local.

[TEB]

you eat it quickly before someone nicks it off you

[vicky]

Lovely Cromer Crab! We normally buy it dressed from the fishmongers as it's easier. I don't recall ever seeing them for sale live.
As for lobster, never been able to afford that so hopefully a posh grape will help you with that!

[NOG]

We're going on holiday to the north Norfolk coast for a couple of days and I know there is crab and lobster for sale over there.
But as I live a long way from the sea, I've no idea at all what to buy, or what to do with it.

Do I buy live crab or cooked ones, or do I buy lobster.... can you even buy it at this time of the year?

And when I've got it, what do I do with it?

Sorry, I'm a complete dunce when it comes to sea food, but I really want to try something local.

Don't they have fishmongers in Cambridge?

I would go in a restuant and have a crab salad.

[burnie]

I usually find a coastal pub that sells crab salad and either Speckled Hen or draught Abbott(that's beer to those who don't know)

[womble]

Don't they have fishmongers in Cambridge?

I would go in a restuant and have a crab salad.

Probably but as I don't live in Cambridge I don't know.

The one thing I miss by not living by the sea is being able to buy very fresh fish and things cheaply. That is what I want to do, not go into a restaurant and get them to make me something

Thanks for all your help.
Never been able to afford a lobster either, but I thought it was cheaper in the tiny fisherman places on the seafront, we will see.

[HayleyB]

Oooh, Cromer Crab yummy my favouritist shellfish ever ever, make sure they are not undersized even if they are dressed, undersized should have been thrown back for another day.

Lobster straight from the sea will be live, best way is to freeze them for about 30 mins until they are asleep and then throw into hot water. They are petrol blue and you know they are cooked cause they turn lobbie red. Or you could just drive a knife through the head and split down the middle and cook on a BBQ.

Crawfish are very like lobbies crossed with the biggest spider imaginable but luckily very small pincers. They taste similar to lobbie but the fight into a pot big enough is a trauma (not as big a trauma as being an arachnaphobe expected to take a 4 foot monster (all legs and body) and share the back of the boat with it. His lordship yelled at me a lot that day

[Snadger]

I love crabmeat and had never had a lobster until I was 40!!!

It was on a list of things I must do before I hit 40 so OH got me one for my fortieth supper. What a let down...........

Give me crab any day!!!!!

[HayleyB]

Yep I agree, much prefer a lovely big crab in a cocktail wih prawns or the brown meat spread on toast. Crab salad - yum, crab bisque - double yum. Giant crab claws and garlic mayo - heaven

[Birdie Wife]

Find a local fishmongers with a queue of locals and buy it dressed but not from frozen, if possible. I agree, if you haven't done it before, buying fresh and cooking/dressing it yourself is unneccessary faff!
I actually like lobster, but then again I was given a free one by a fisher lad who was a bit smitten I cooked it myself but it was a bit on the small side (probably undersize now I think of it - I didn't know any better at the time) and made a very nice sandwich with brown bread and mayonnaise

[Nicos]

Fresh crab butties and a pot of tea!!!!...yum!!!

[Hilary B]

Crab or lobster both were traditionally cooked from live. Fortunately these days we have freezers (although I don't know whether you can do the freezer bit with crabs. It works well for lobster).
'dressing' a crab is fiddly. Unless someone is giving them away (together with lessons on preparation) I wouldn't bother, get it ready done.
Lobster is MUCH easier, it's nothing but an outsize prawn (with claws) and I use it much the same way. Freeze for a while to put it into hibernation (a few days in freezer-hibernation and it won't wake up anyway) then you can boil it, split lengthwise (needs a very good knife) and grill it, etc......
I boil (or buy ready boiled) then take the shell off just like with a prawn, cut up the meat, and include it in a super-paella.

[Polly Fouracre]

As a daughter of the sea, so to speak , I would be a bit wary of eating shellfish at this time of year as they will be breeding. This means the cock crabs will have lost weight and condition and the hens will be full of eggs. Buy a live crab that feels heavy for it's size, make sure its claws are secured, take it home, put on a large pan of water and when boiling push a very sharp, pointed knife or skewer into the crab between the eyes and put it immeadiately into the boiling water.
Likewise choose a lobster for it's weight for size and either drop it straight into boiling water or, as said, put it in the freezer first until comatose.
We used to practically live on fish and shellfish when my children were small and I never tired of it. Enjoy your holiday and your fish.

[Oleander]

I was lucky enough to go to a cookery demo by a michelin starred chef yesterday. Only 12 people there, and he was really friendly and down to earth. Anyway, amongst other things, he cooked a lobster for us and also talked about how to cook crab.

Lobster goes straight into boiling water, and should then be simmered for 8 or nine minutes, any longer and it will be overcooked. Personally, I don't think lobster is worth the expense, and I prefer crab which is much cheaper.

Crab goes into cold water which you then bring up to the boil. Once boiling if you only want the white meat, take it out. If you also like the brown meat (my preference) let it boil for 5 more minutes. If you put a crab into boiling water, it's legs come straight off and the body fills with water - quite often I have bought a cooked crab and found it watery, now I know why.

Whatever you decide to do, enjoy!

[womble]

Thanks everyone! I missed some of your advice due to being on holiday and I thought I would update you to what occurred.

We went to Blakeney and was going to buy crabs from the crab shack, that I found on the web, but instead while walking through the town we found a small fish shop and bought 2 whole cooked crabs from there. We saw a local coming out of the shop.

I didn't think the caravans freezer would take a couple of live large crabs

So we got the two crabs back to the caravan with copied instructions from the web and tried to sort them out complicated isn't it?
The two crabs were completely different, one had loads more meat on it, I never did find the stomach sac in either All in, unless I had someone with me that knew how to do it and could show me, I would buy dressed crabs next time.

Nice though, but I still smell of fish, dread to think what the caravan still smells like