Land crab

What a blast from the past! There are tons of these in Cuba. I hate to say that the poorest people gather them. They are usually found near sewers. They also make holes in the garden and are considered pests, people try to drown them with gasoline. There is a period of time in the year when they migrate by the thousands and cross roads where cars run them over. People with cars (few) hate them because the claws can cause punctures. It's an uncomfortable feeling driving through a mine field of these crabs on the highway.

We called them "ghost crabs" in Alabama. I never thought about them being edible, as the ones we caught were typically smaller. Or maybe a different species, but from the photo very similar. There is a sandy barrier island just offshore of Dauphin Island (south of Mobile, AL) where we occasionally camped. Those things were everywhere at night.

I always did wonder about the edibility of those crabs. People would have sack fulls of them so I imagined that even if the yield is small there's enough of them. One day I took one apart to see how much meat is in there that you can grab, there was nothing. The only thing I can see using them for is soup. However I'd like to learn otherwise so if straight shaft has the recipe..

Or was it petrolio.. :thinking:

Sorry to be repetitive but I don't get it, like I said it's something I've wondered about for a long time. Do you drink the soup/salt water with the veggies and leave the crabs alone or do you just take out the crabs leaving the soup as if it were marinate, break the shell and look for pieces of flesh inside?

Nevermind, I don't want to bug you with this, it's just I really wanted to know.

Crab boils are one of my favorite ways to waste an afternoon, and some of my fondest memories as a kid on the northern Gulf coast. For 18-20 nice blue crabs, we bring a pot of saltwater to a boil, and add a bit of vinegar and hot seasoning to taste. Add small red "new potatoes" and boil for ten minutes. Then add corn on the cob and blue crabs and boil it all for ten more minutes. Turn off the heat and let is sit for a few more minutes if you want it to absorb more spice. Then take it all out, spread it over a big picnic table, and eat. Plenty of meat in the claws and body, but I don't mess with the legs.

Not a "high yield" as you would say, but a nice way to eat a SLOW paced meal out on the dock. Picking the meat out takes a little time, so it's mostly a social thing.

- Discard the water.

Sorry, a little off topic for the Puerto Rico forum.

Sorry mate. but in PR we do use the water to make some good rice and get some of the meat from the legss and claws. and you have some good crab rice. is really good. That is a good size crab there;). My grand father used to collect them put them in a big cage and feed them cooked rice and coconut , they will get fat and they will clean in the inside. they will get sweet. I really love them . but like he said is kind of like a social event. and you will make a mess allover the place. but hey it really worth the time. :thumbsup2::thumbsup2:

Yeah! They're good eating. But as Core said, you have to "cure" them feeding with coconut and sweet corn. They have a lot of sweet meat.

In Venezuela they're called "cangrejos mierderos" and have the same consideration as in Cuba, as per Dan refference. Now they are exporting them. Maybe to Puerto Rico... :rolleyes1:

I've seen them to be highly appreciated also in Trinidad, St. Thomas and in Saint Marteen.