[ripinlips]

Originally Posted by cajun bill

If you put the crabs in the water before the water gets hot, they will not eject their claws and legs like they do when you throw cold crabs in boiling water. While they will still lose some, almost all claws and legs will stay on the shell making it easier to get at the meat when you peel them.

Of course, this only works on the first batch because after that, the water is hot. I read about this years ago and it is a trick restaurants use to make their crabs more attractive to the consumer. Don't know about taking the shell off along with the "gills". Never saw that done and like you said, you lose the fat.

While I am not too set back by the following statement(found on a couple websites), it is a good reason I can live without the "fat" (hepatopancreas). But to each his own...I am just sharing info. If I attend a boil and its on there, you betta believe I am going to eat that sha

FYI: Research shows that chemical contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxin, mercury, and poison-inhalation hazards (PIHs) can accumulate in the crab’s fatty tissues and concentrate in the hepatopancreas.

I have always been told that if you place them in live and kicking their natural defense will be to eject legs/claws, but having them iced down before mostly prevents this. Thanks for the info about putting in before the water is boiling, but like you said after the first batch that will not work.