Spicy Crab Boil

• 18 live blue crabs
• 2 tablespoons Crab-Boil Spices, recipe follows
• 1/2 tablespoon cayenne
• 1/4 cup table salt
• 2 lemons, quartered
• 1 onion ,halved
• 3/4 pounds small potatoes (about 2 inches in diameter)
• 1 head of garlic (not separated into cloves)
• 3 ears of corn, shucked
• 1 tablespoon Crab-Boil Spices, or to taste, for sprinkling over
• boiled seafood
• Accompaniments: French bread
• 1/4 cup pickling spices
• 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon celery seeds
• 2 tablespoons dried hot red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 5 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon minced dried chives
• 1/4 cup sea salt

1. In a kettle bring 5 gallons water to a boil.
2. While water is coming to a boil, in a deep sink rinse crabs in 2 or 3 changes of water.
3. (Do not fill sink too full or crabs may crawl out.)
4. Add 2 tablespoons Crab-Boil Spices, cayenne, salt, lemons, and onions to boiling water and boil 5 minutes.
5. Add potatoes and garlic and boil until tender, about 15 minutes.
6. Transfer potatoes and garlic with a large sieve to a large platter and keep warm, covered with foil.
7. Add corn to boiling water and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
8. Transfer corn with tongs to platter and keep warm, covered with foil.
9. Return water to a boil.
10. Transfer about 6 crabs carefully with long tongs to sieve, holding them down in sieve with tongs, and turn crabs out into boiling water.
11. Add remaining crabs in same manner.
12. Return water to a boil and cook crabs until just cooked through, about 10 minutes.
13. (To determine doneness, remove a claw and crack it with the handle of a dinner knife.
14. Use knife to extract meat from claw.)
15. Transfer crabs with sieve to another large platter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Crab-Boil Spices.
16. Serve with French bread.
17. In a food processor combine all ingredients and pulse until mixture forms a coarse powder.
18. Crab-boil spices keep in a well-sealed container for several months in a cool, dark place.
19. Yield: about 1 cup

crabs, crabboil, cayenne, salt, lemons, onion, potatoes, garlic, corn, crabboil, seafood, bread, pickling spices, mustard seeds, whole black peppercorns, celery seeds, ground ginger, bay leaves, oregano, chives, salt

Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/spicy-crab-boil-recipe0.html (may not work)