Granchio, Granciporro, Granseola, Grancevola, Granceola

The crab family includes a large variety of these extremely tasty crustaceans. In Italy, the smaller variety, such as the granchio or sand or common crabs, are eaten in soups. The larger variety, called granciporro, is heavy and capable of yielding quite a lot of meat. For the best results these large crabs should be boiled while still alive, like lobsters. They need to be cooked for at least 20 minutes, then left to rest for 15 minutes in their cooking water. Spider crabs (granseola, granceola or grancevola) are prepared in a similar way. The best crabs come from Venice, as do the best recipes.