Broiled Crabs

This is the grilled variation of the preceding crab entry, so it assumes the cleaning and splitting described there. What it adds is the fire and the timing, and both need translating for a modern grill.

• "Broiler" hereIn cookery of this period a broiler is likely a hinged wire grill that clamps the food between two grids, rather than the overhead element in a modern range. A folding fish basket does the same job and lets you turn the crabs without losing legs to the coals.
• "Clear, hot coals"Coals burned down past the flame stage to an even grey ash. Flames and smoke from fresh charcoal can coat the crab in soot before the shell heats through.
• Prepared as aboveThis depends on the cleaning and splitting given in the preceding crab entry. Buy the crabs live or freshly killed, and clean them shortly before cooking, since crab meat spoils quickly once the animal is dead.
• The timing is per sideThe timing -- eight to ten minutes is the whole cooking time, roughly four to five minutes a side, shell down first so the shell takes the direct heat and the meat steams inside it. Larger crabs need proportionally longer; the meat is done when it is opaque white and pulls free of the shell.
• Butter and lemonMelt the butter beside the fire rather than in it, and add the lemon juice off the heat. About 4 tablespoons butter to the juice of half a lemon is enough for two crabs.
• YieldReckon two to three blue crabs per person as a main course, one or two as a first course. Serve with something to catch the drips and a way to crack the claws.