Why Its Necessary To Add Vinegar When Steaming Crabs?

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Those who love to have seafood on their dining table will probably enjoy crab now and again.

You may notice that many recipes for crab call for you to add vinegar to the water when you are steaming the crab. Today we’ll answer this question for you so stay with us.

Why Add Vinegar When Steaming Crabs?

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While it is not compulsory to add vinegar while steaming crabs, it is highly recommended to add some to the cooking or steaming water as it makes the meat easier to remove when eating them.

If you don’t want to add vinegar or do not have vinegar available at your home, it is okay to steam crabs without it but just be aware that omitting it may affect the finished quality and taste of your steamed crabs.

How Vinegar Helps Crabs to Steam Well?

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There are a few benefits of adding vinegar while steaming crabs. Here are some:

• The vinegar will reduce the boiling point of the water present in your steaming pot, thus helping you to steam your crabs more quickly.
• The steam created by the water and vinegar solution will help you avoid the problem of the crab meat sticking to the shell. This makes the crabmeat easier to remove, reducing wastage and making the dish easier to eat.
• The addition of vinegar helps to tenderize the crab meat. 

What Kind of Vinegar to Use

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Ordinary distilled white vinegar is fine but you can also use apple cider vinegar. There is no need to use expensive balsamic vinegar. Use three tablespoons of vinegar to every quart of water.

Some people like to add more and some add beer as well. In this case, use a ratio of 1 can of beer, 1 can of vinegar, and one can of water.

Recipe for Steamed Crabs with Vinegar

• 2-3 dozen crabs
• ½ cup Old Bay seasoning mix
• ½ cup white vinegar
• 3 cups water
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon each of dried oregano and basil

Instructions:

1. Put the vinegar and water into your steamer and add all the flavorings except the Old Bay Spice. This gets sprinkled on top of the crabs. Put in the live crabs and steam for about half an hour.
2. Sprinkle the Old Bay spice mix over the crabs about halfway through cooking. The bottom crabs should not touch the water.
3. To boil instead of steam, put the crabs directly into the pot, cover with water and add the other ingredients. Boil for 15 minutes.
4. They are done when the apron part of the shell pops away from the body. Drain and allow to rest for a few minutes before eating them.

Conclusion

We hope this has given you some insight into cooking crabs and why it is necessary to add vinegar to the steaming or boiling water.

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