Do any of you season your boil water?

[DoubleJ]

I posted my crab adventures at another website and was asked why I didn't add any Old Bay seasoning or other seasoning.  I love the taste of straight crab and don't think it needs seasoning but, do any of you season your water?

[Skillet]

Did you post up those adventures here, too?

Straight up dungeness is good enough, but every once in a while I'll throw in a bag of Old Bay.  I actually don't boil them in it, but steam them in a rack above the boiling water.  Still picks up the Old Bay flavor, but not nearly as strong and doesn't overpower the good dungy flavor. 

[PolarBear]

Always clean your crab before cooking, it makes them soooo much better.  Every now and then we add a little beer and Johnny's but usually we just boil in saltwater straight out of the bay.

[Sneaky]

Louisiana brand crab boil. I also add sausage, potatoes, corn on the cob, and whole onions 

[sticky]

Yeah, I'm with P.Bear, seawater works well. Old Bay is good with less flavor crab like soft shell.  For my money, Dungeness is the best tasting crab there is. Yum.

[jaymark6655]

Originally from MD, so I like the Old Bay.  Dung has a good flavor, I think adding it is more important with blues.  I steam but coat the crabs in the seasoning.

[sirmissalot]

Always clean your crab before cooking, it makes them soooo much better.  Every now and then we add a little beer and Johnny's but usually we just boil in saltwater straight out of the bay.

I think cleaning them takes away some of the flavor. I only clean them before I cook them when I can cook them right away, they keep well on ice that way. Some wish shrimp, if you can cook them whole the day you caught them, they're excellent.

I always season the water I boil in, Zatarans crab boil is awesome and easy. Just throw the bag in. I throw it in while the water is getting hot and let it boil for a little bit before I put the crab in so it gets a lot of the seasoning flavor into the water and into the crab.

[scottcrb]

No cleaning just add sea salt if I can't use ocean water?

[jackmaster]

sea salt works great

[WSU]

I just throw some Johnny's in the pot.  Also, I cook them cleaned and uncleaned, and like both.  Crabs are so good it seems that it is hard to screw up.

[h20hunter]

Kosher Salt.

I did get some old bay and used it in my crab cakes.......they were a crowd pleaser!