The seas, lakes, and rivers of Hyrule are filled with an abundance of fish and shellfish. As a result, the diet of the kingdom’s residence includes a lot of seafood. Hylians, Rito, and Zora all eat plenty of seafood dishes. One popular ingredient in dishes is crab. A variety of crab inhabit the shorelines of Hyrule. Crabs can also be found along the rivers and lakes as well.
To find some of the best crab dishes in Hyrule one should make a visit to Lurelin village. Here the fisherman and residence are experts in the preparation of crab. One such dish is the simplistic Salt Grilled Crab. Parboiled crabs are grilled over fire with a little salt. The smokiness of the grilling combines well with the natural sweetness of the crabmeat for a simple but delicious meal.
"Nine out of ten fishermen agree: crab is best enjoyed grilled and with just a bit of salt."
For this dish I decided to use live blue crabs, though frozen crabs or other varieties of crabs may be used. To infuse the salt flavor, I decided first to parboil them crabs on salt water. This kills the crabs and infuses some of that salt flavor. After cleaning the crabs, they will be grilled the rest of the way with some optional additional salt. That’s pretty much all there is to it. Simple sweet crab meat with a little grill flavoring. Definitely a meal I would enjoy eating sitting fireside along the shores of the Faron Sea. I wonder if Lurelin Village brews any beer to go with these crabs…
Ingredients
12 live or frozen crabs (blue crabs or other variety)
3-4 tbsp salt, plus additional as needed
⅓ cup olive oil
¼ cup melted butter or clarified butter (optional for dipping)
Ice (optional for cooling the crabs before cleaning)
In order to prep the live crabs for grilling, we will partially boil them first on salt water, and then we will clean them and finish them on the grill. You can use frozen crabs if you do not have live crab available or if you are not comfortable cooking live crabs. If you are using frozen crabs, ensure they are thawed and skip to the grilling part of the recipe.
If you are using live crab, place the crabs in the freezer for 15 minutes prior to boiling to stun them. This will make them much more lethargic. Stunning then like this makes them easier to place in the pot and it’s a more humane way to cook them live.
While the crabs are being stunned, fill a large stock pot with one gallon of water. This should fill the pot half way. Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat. While the water is coming to a boil, add the 3-4 tablespoons of salt and stir to dissolve it. You want the water to be salty like the ocean to impart the salt flavor into the crabs.
When the crabs are stunned, add them to the boiling water and place a lid on the pot. Lower the heat to a simmer, and allow the crabs to simmer for approximately 5 minutes. You want to boil them until the shells just turn bright red and they are dead. This is just a partial cook. We will finish them on the grill. Remove the pot from the heat, and remove the crabs from the water with tongs.
Remove the crabs from the boiling water and immediately shock them in icy cold water to cool them and stop the cooking process. This will allow you to handle them and prevent the crabs from becoming over cooked.
If you are using frozen crabs, once they are thawed, skip the partial boiling process and begin here.
Now it is time to clean the crabs. While you are cleaning the crabs, you can warm up the grill. Heat your grill to medium-high heat, approximately 350°F to 400°F.
To clean the crabs, flip the crabs on their back and find the triangular “tab” on the belly. Pull this all the back and then pop the shell off of the back of the crab. Rinse the inside of the shell and reserve for decoration later. Remove the gills and mandibles from the inside of the crab and clean out the innards by rinsing with water. Do this with each crab.
Once the crabs are cleaned, brush the crabs with olive oil on both sides. If you are using thawed frozen crabs, season the crabs generously with salt. If you partially boiled live crabs, you can season the cleaned crabs with some additional salt if you like.
Place the crabs on the warmed grill. Allow the crabs to grill for 4-5 minutes, flip them with tongs, and grill for 4-5 minutes more. Remove the crabs from the grill with tongs.
To serve, place a crab on a plate (on top of a piece of lettuce or greens to match the in-game photo if you desire). Replace the top shell for decoration. You can also place all of the crabs on a large platter with shells replaced for a more “family-style” serving. I recommend eating the crabs with some melted butter. Enjoy!
Learn more about the Salt Grilled Crab dish from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at Zelda Dungeon.