Magic Crabs: Cooking with Kids

Magic Crabs: Cooking with Kids

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Posted 2014-02-17 by Two Boys.follow
Kids love cooking and kids love Magic. So, why not combine the two and try this fabulous day out making Magic Crabs?



You need to remember that magic is all about showmanship. So build it up and say that you are looking for Magic Crabs at the South Melbourne Market. Scour the fishmongers, until you find a beautiful Blue Swimmer Crab and if you have time, set it up beforehand by wording up the fishmonger to call it a Magic Crab. The Blue Swimmer Crab is a crustacean, meaning that they have exoskeletons (external skeletons) that appear blue and this colour is what makes the crabs magic! It has to be uncooked and blue. The South Melbourne Market has amazing deli and places to buy bread, fruit and vegetables. Get your kids to plan what they want to eat with their Magic Crab and buy what they need. Perhaps some crusty bread, chunky dip and cucumber and tomato salad. Or plan a picnic and buys some delicious strawberries, blueberries and grapes for dessert.

Take your Magic Crab home and ask your child to draw it as you get ready for cooking. Get them to capture the beautiful blue colours and note what colour it might change into when you do the magic. Cut up your salad and bread, pack your picnic and boil the kettle.



Pour the boiled water into a large pot and make sure there is enough to completely over the crab. Get your child's attention and start building the scene. Get them to look, poke, investigate the crab to see if there is a button, a pocket or a secret stash of colour in the crab anywhere. Ge them convinced that it is only blue and blue alone. They need to be utterly convinced that no magic trick is possible and then get ready to pop it in the water!



Pop your crab into the water and the color change will be instantaneous. However, you want it to cook for couple of minutes - so use this time to start your abracadabra count down. Build it up, build up the excitement and guess the colours, keep building, keep building....YELLOW! RED! PURPLE! BLACK! WHITE! After a couple of minutes, and when your child is definite that the blue crab will still be blue, use tongs to take the crab out and watch your child's face!



Da da! The Blue Crab turned Red! The crab shell (exoskeleton) contains a pigment called astaxanthin that is hidden when uncooked. When cooking occurs the coating that is hiding the pigment gets broken down and releases the red astaxanthin pigments - hence "magically" changing the colour of the crab.



Explain or don't explain - it is up to you. Some magicians like their tricks kept secret... From here, take your picnic head outdoors and crack open the crab. If your kids can, give them a little hammer and let them crack open the crab and eat the flesh themselves. The meat is sweet and delicious.

One crab has only enough meat in it for one child though and cost about $6.00 per crab. Larger Mud Crabs have significantly more meat in them, but can cost around $30. You will definitely need a hammer to break the shell of the Mud Crab.





Cooking crabs literally takes a minute or two and is a simple task, but can be made into an event for your children to experience in the kitchen with you. Magic Crabs is something different to cook and provide a decidedly delicious activity to do on the weekend with your kids.

#cooking_lessons
#kids
#south_melbourne
#south
%wnmelbourne
177066 - 2023-06-15 18:00:30

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