Being as I shall be missing the crab cookoff, I thought this would be a good second best.
First you start with the right equipment, and yah gotta get your mind right.
Next you need some crabs. Check ALL crabs carefully, if they ain't moving, don't fool with them, just chuck them. You can get very very sick eating dead crabs. I like to euthanise my crabs. Just place them- one at a time verifying that each is indeed alive and kicking - into a cooler, then add some ice. You need more ice than is in picture.
Then add some water to cover them. Let them stay in the ice water bath about ten minutes. This will set them back and you can actually handle them with your bare fingers, no problem.
Lay each crab upside down and acquire the hatchett. Place it on the crab's midline, and push down to cut them clean in two.
These were females. I don't buy females. But these were brought to me by some friends, who know no better. No chance to return them. YUCK, but what do you do when everyone is watching, waiting to eat crabs ?
Next lift of the shell, scrape the dead man fingers (lungs), and remove mouth pieces. It is easy to do once you do a few. Then you should have a crab half that looks like this.
Now break out the garden hose, and hose them down real well. All the inards will go bye bye. I prefer to do this because most toxins gather in the inards, not the meat itself. Also, those that like to eat the yellow stuff should know better.
Then simply lay the pieces out to drain. Once you have cleaned the crabs, keeping them cold BTW, it is time to prepare the seasoning. I like to use a bowl. Put some Old Bay seasoning and some good salt in the bowl, and then just dip the open cavity of the crab into that mixture and set into a new bowl. Once you have the bowl filled, sprinkle some lemon juice over the crabs and leave them in the fridge. They are now ready to go.
Next up....the steamer. I like a big steamer with lots of flame under it. It is better to hit them hard and fast than slow and long. Into the steamer pot put a beer, some lemon juice, some garlic, some vinegar, some salt, then fill to level with water. Heat the water to boiling, then back it off and let it simmer for about fifteen minutes.
Next up- SHRIMP. That's right shrimp. Turn the gas back up and get the water into a rolling boil. Then kill the gas altogether, pitch in your shrimp, and cover. They will be ready in about a minute or less. The heated water is more than enough. Don't overcook your shrimp. Take the shrimp out and put them on a plate and stick them in a freezer right away. they will continue to cook if you leave them just sit there. Then they will get mushy. Try to rapidly cool them.
Now your water has been 'seasoned' and is ready for crabs.
Big mistake people make is overloading the steamer. You want the water as hot as you can get it. Really going. Then carefully layer your crab sections into the steamer, trying to leave some room between pieces. Cover the steamer and cook crabs for about four to five minutes only. Don't overcook your crabs. If the shells are orange, the crab is close. Use a timer, and start with just one crab section until you get the time right. Each steamer is different. You want the meat to pull FREELY from the shell. It should be white not transluscent. Don't over cook your crabs. As soon as you get it to where one crab section is cooked JUST LONG ENOUGH, you can add about a minute's worth of time to a 'loaded steamer' and be just right.
You can vary the recipe and ingredients to your taste without fear of ruining anything. More Old Bay makes them spicier. If you are good at making stocks, consider the water in the steamer as such, and develope it. Mostly you will get water vapor, but the steam is slightly enhanced if you do it right. Adding garlic directly to the crabs isn't a bad way to go either. Make certain you add salt to the steamer's water as this raises the temperature of the steam. Hard and fast does it right. Monitor the water level to make certain the pot doesn't go dry. Cook only a few at a time so everyone gets freshly steamed crabs.
Next, take a big round plate and layer the crab delights in a circle, then add cold shrimp into the center section, and serve with ice cold beer.
It is easy to fix them this way and people who normally would only pick at a few crabs will eat heartily. After I developed my system, someone said that's how they do it in Jersey. Man was I depressed, I thought I was being all radical. I started doing it after discovering that the St Johns River contained dioxins. We loved crabs and ate a bunch, so I figured this would keep us clean. Most toxins gather and remain in the organs and intestines and most especially- the fat. Crabs lay on the bottom where the highest concentrations of these chemicals occurs.
If someone is going to the crab cook off and wants to represent me- have at it. These crabs get the nod from everyone who has ever eaten them. They are simply- the best.