Most people don't realize how simple it is to steam crab at home. I'll warn you though, my kitchen will smell like crab for an entire week after crab night but thinking about it makes my belly growl. Grrrrrr!
First you need to get a live crab. Make sure it's a live one and not frozen or half dead. Rinse in the sink with some clean water. Some people scrub but I don't want to aggravate the crab too much. The limbs fall off when the animal is agitated. Leave in the sink until ready.
Boil 2 inches of water in a pot big enough to hold the crab and cover with the lid. You can salt the water or add lemon slices but it's not necessary. QUICKLY put the crab in the pot and cover the lid. This is not for the squeamish. You have to do this fast so it won't spread it's legs and stop you from getting it in the pot.
Boil/steam for 18 minutes. A chef once told me that the crab is cooked once it starts to smell really good. It's easy to over cook and what a shame that would be.
Remove the crab from the pot of boiling water and let sit until cool enough to touch. Pull off the shell and reserve innards for the noodle recipe or to serve on rice. Remove the gills and dispose. Use a crab cracker to get to the meat. Eat alone or serve with garlic noodles. I like to dip my crab in garlic butter with white pepper.
If you don't finish the crab and want to save the left overs, remove the meat and store in the fridge. Crab meat doesn't keep well in the shell.
Garlic Noodle Recipe from Poleng Lounge San Francisco
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