🚀 go-pugleaf

  HL> From: laurent@tamrc.enet.dec.com (Hal Laurent)

  > Boiling vs Steaming -  It is my observation that the flavor of the
  > spices does not get to the meat if something is steamed, the Old Bay
  > gets on your hands and thus the spice gets into your mouth when you eat
  > the crab.  By boiling the spicey water gets into the crab/crawfish and
  > mixes with the meat.  When boiling one also can added potatoes, corn,
  > garlic, and onions that can be eaten with the seafood.
  > 
  HL> While it is true that more of the seasoning gets to the crab meat when
  HL> boiling, I find the texture of the crab meat to be better when steamed
  HL> than when boiled. And a Baltimore person eating Lousiana style boiled
  HL> crabs for the first time is bound to be unnerved when they open the
  HL> crab and all of that liquid comes pouring out. :-)

My own observations and impressions -- I agree that in order to get the
seasoning right to the individual crab when steaming, you have to shake a LOT
of the spice onto the crabs.  But that's why good crabs in this area /do/ come
to the table thickly coated with red pepper, for eating with messy fingers --
enough of the spice ends up on the meat that you still get plenty.  But it's
wasteful of the spice.  But so what.

Boiling, IMHO, takes away too much of the crab flavor.  If I wanted to eat
boiled seafood, I'd boil something cheaper, and easier to eat.

However, I don't care what method is used for crawfish -- they're so good (and
so easy to eat, when compared with crabs) that boiling hasn't ever worried me. 
(I'll bet they'd be great steamed, though.)

Hmmm... my mouth thinks it's time to head for Breaux Bridge right now!