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Vanilla Butter

Makes about ½ cup

8 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 vanilla bean

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon sugar

Melt the butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Remove it from the heat and let it stand at room temperature for 5 minutes.

Skim the foam off the top of the butter with a small spoon. Slowly pour the butter into a small bowl, leaving the whitish milk solids in the pan. Discard the solids.

Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise; scrape the tiny seeds out of the bean with a sharp paring knife, then scrape them into the butter in the bowl. Stir in the salt and sugar. Set aside on the back of the stove to keep warm while you prepare the lobsters.

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How to Eat a Crab

Take a mallet and bash the crab’s face a couple of times, just at the eyestalks. Doing so should loosen the top and bottom parts of the shell. Pry off the top part of the shell and discard. Scrape out any green matter and the spongy, frondlike gills. If possible, snap the body in half. Snap off the legs one by one, cracking each to remove the meat inside and clearing off any shell at the shoulder joint to get at the crabmeat inside. Give the claws a couple of hard knocks to crack them, then remove the meat by peeling away the shell and wiggling the small part of the pincher free. Finally, dig into the chambers in the body to reveal the large bits of lump crabmeat, taking care to break the cartilage gently so as not to get any in the meat.

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Crab Boil

You’ll need an enormous pot for this simple dish. Look for blue or rock crabs in specialty markets or in Asian markets. Handle them with tongs and remember: if they’re not fighting, they’re probably dead and should be discarded. Makes 6 servings

¼ cup kosher salt

2 tablespoons celery seeds

2 tablespoons finely cracked black peppercorns

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cloves

6 quarts water

2 small onions, quartered

1 lemon, cut into eighths

4 bay leaves

1½ pounds very small red-skinned potatoes (if larger, cut in half)

Twelve 6-inch-diameter blue or rock crabs

6 ears corn, husked and halved

Mix the kosher salt, celery seeds, peppercorns, dry mustard, paprika, red pepper flakes, allspice, ginger, and cloves in a small bowl; set aside.

Bring the water, onions, lemon, and bay leaves to a boil in a very large pot set over high heat. Add all but 2 tablespoons of the salt mixture (reserving those 2 tablespoons for garnish).

Add the potatoes and cook until fairly tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes.

Use tongs to get the crabs into the pot. Add the corn, cover, and bring back to a boil. Cook until the corn and potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes from the moment the crabs hit the water. To tell if the crab is done, snap off one of the legs and make sure the meat inside is opaque, not translucent.

Drain everything in the sink. Discard the onions, lemon, bay leaves, and spices. Place the crabs, potatoes, and corn on an enormous platter. Sprinkle the remaining spice mixture over everything. Serve with mallets on the side for cracking open the crabs.

Crab Claws in Chili Sauce

Stone crabs are harvested by catching them, removing one claw, and throwing them back so that the claw can grow back and the crab can live another day. You can find the cooked claws frozen in tubs at the fish counter or thawed at the counter; here, they’re stir-fried in a scorching, ketchuplike sauce. Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons peanut oil

3 medium shallots, minced

6 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

4 pounds cooked medium stone crab claws (about 7 per pound)

4 Roma or plum tomatoes, chopped

2 to 4 teaspoons red Asian chili paste to taste

2 teaspoons cornstarch whisked with 1½ tablespoons water until smooth in a small bowl

Whisk the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and brown sugar