Catch and cook some Christmas crabs – by Leon ‘The Pontoon Chef’ Sines

 Santa Clause is coming and the crabs are getting fat!
 
With the weather heating up, now is a good time to dust off the crab pots and try your luck at catching a feed of mud crabs in the lead up to Christmas.
 
There’s an old wives tale that suggests any month that ends with the letter ‘R’ is a good time to try your luck for mud crabs. From experience, it’s pretty much on the money.
 
Here in southeast Queensland, mud crabs (or ‘muddies’) come into season from late September all the way through to early March – and make a welcome addition to any festive feast.
 
Believe it or not, they are relatively easy to catch – if you know what you’re doing. The good news is kids love to get involved too and you can really have some fun over the Christmas holidays setting some crab pots.
 
Before you entertain the idea of crabbing, consult local authorities on the local rules and regulations as some areas differ from others with regards to what you can and can’t do. For general rules, regulations, size and bag limits in Queensland, check out the DPI website or contact your local tackle store for all the latest updates for your area.
 
So here’s a simple and easy way to get started and hopefully see you having a feed of fresh mud crabs this Christmas…

STEP 1 – Buy some crab pots

This doesn’t have to be expensive.For under $200 – from any good tackle outlet such as BCF or Tackle World – you can get four very good quality crab pots, complete with rope, bait bags, floats and identifying tags.

While $200 might sound expensive, I’ve found that the better, heavy-duty crab pots out-perform the cheaper versions, so it’s well worth the extra money… and considering mud crabs are usually around $40+ a kilo, with the average muddie weighing in around 1.5kg, it doesn’t take long to get a good return on your investment.

STEP 2 – Bait

Getting bait can be as simple as going to your local tackle store or service station and buying some whole mullet. Where possible, I like to use fresh mullet and usually pick-up these from the deli section of Coles or Woolworths.

Cut them in half, as the bait will go further and muddies are attracted by the smell.

Fresh meat bones and chicken wings are also very effective, while some people also swear by a tin of tuna cat food with holes punched in it.

Whatever bait you use, just make sure you use a bait bag and that it’s firmly secured to the bottom of the crab pot. Muddies have very powerful claws and will make short work of anything not securely tied down.

STEP 3 – Setting the pots

OK, so it’s time to set the crab pots… and the easiest way to do this is straight off your Superior Jetties Pontoon…

The Gold Coast canal system is a great place to start and you will get the occasional ‘keeper’ right off your pontoon. However, if you’re really after a decent feed of muddies your best bet is to target the mangrove fringes of river and creek systems.

I always prefer to find deep water along these edges and if you can set your pots in about 0.5m to 1.5m of water at low tide then this is usually a good place to start. If you’re targeting creeks, set your pots between 5m and 10m apart for best results.

In a large river or estuary system, you can set your pots anywhere between 20m to 50m apart. Don’t be afraid to experiment when setting your crab pots, as sometimes the most unlikely looking place can yield good results.

STEP 4 – How and when

Along with targeting muddies between September and March, I’m also a big believer in working the moon and tides. Of course, you can catch muddies all year round, but if you follow these simple steps, your chances will dramatically increase.

For the best success rate, try to target the lead-up to the full or new moon and always set your pots to coincide with a run-in tide and overnight (if possible).

Water temperature needs to be warm… at least 23 degrees. A lot of weed in the water usually means no crabs, so try to avoid it.

Here’s where you can get the kids involved… if I run a set of four pots, I usually check them every two hours or so (this seems to be just the right amount of time for muddies to find their way into your pot). But if that all seems like a bit of hard work, especially at night, then just set and forget your pots overnight and have the kids check them first up in the morning. Something to wake-up to!

STEP 5 – The catch

Muddies can be very aggressive so take extreme care when handling them. The easiest and most effective way is to use one hand and squeeze their rear swim flippers together. Once you get more experienced, you can learn to tie your mud crab so that the claws are restrained. I like to keep mine in a large icebox on ice, as this seems to subdue them and prepare them for cooking.

STEP 6 – Cooking the catch

There are many ways to prepare and cook your catch. I think the flesh of a mud crab has a beautiful, unique flavour, so my preference is to cook them ‘au naturale’.

Here’s a quick recipe that has served me well, whether cooking muddies up at Cape York, on the back of a boat or on my pontoon:

The most humane and effective way to euthanise mud crabs is by placing them in the freezer for 45 minutes to an hour. Ice is the next best thing, but takes a lot longer. Make sure you don’t freeze your crabs as the flesh will stick to the inside of the shell and/or go mushy when cooked.

I like to scrub the underside of the crab clean with a scourer and then remove the carapace (hard shell) from the rest of the body and cut the body in half leaving two even pieces.

Clean the inside of the crab using the same saltwater as that in which you caught the crab. If there are any doubts about water quality, use freshwater at a ratio of 5L of water to one cup of cooking salt.

Once the flesh is clean, cover and place back in the freezer/ice and let set for at least 30 minutes. This allows the flesh to set in preparation for cooking.

The next part is a bit tricky, but very important: Add the same saltwater that you caught your crab into the pot until it has about 5cm of water in it. Bring this water to the boil and then place your cleaned mud crab into a large deep stainless steel cooking pot until it is between half and three-quarters full. For the large claws, sometimes I like to slightly crack them to assist in cooking.

Place a lid on the pot and reduce the heat to simmer and keep covered and cook for approximately five minutes.

I then like to rotate the crab pieces a little, just to get the ones up off the bottom. Be careful not to burn yourself on the steam!

Cook for a further five to eight minutes just until the flesh looks white and firm. Be careful not to dry simmer the pot – add more water if necessary.

Once your crabs are cooked, remove them from the pot immediately and place them in a bowl of iced seawater for at least 20 minutes. This will stop them from cooking and firm up the flesh.

Remove your crab pieces from the water and let drain for 10 minutes, then place in a new bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Serve as-is with sea salt, cracked pepper and fresh lemon wedges, not forgetting fresh bread and the all-important glass of Sauvignon Blanc – Australian, of course!.

Enjoy!

Leon Sines

Sales Manager