Marinated Crabs - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 dozen crab, steamed & well seasoned
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
12 garlic cloves, unpeeled, flattened with the back of a large knife
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
salt, to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper
3 bay leaves, torn
2 tablespoons italian seasoning
black pepper, fresh coarse ground
2 cups olive salad, good-quality

Preparation

Pull off the steamed crabs' backs; scrape off the lungs and everything from the cavity except the fat. Cut off the eyes. Discard everything but the body, legs and claws. Cut the crabs in half with a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Cut off the claws. Do not pull them, or the meat will pull out of the body. Leave small legs on. With a nutcracker, crack both segments of each claw but try to leave them intact. With a sharp knife, cut off the small piece of shell that holds the lump crabmeat in place. Repeat gently with each crab, placing them in a large bowl.
In a medium bowl, mix well all other ingredients except the olive salad. Pour over the crabs and stir very gently to coat without breaking them up. Tightly seal the top of the bowl and refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 24. Stir gently several times. An hour before serving, add olive salad and stir gently. Serve in bowls with some of the liquid and plenty of French bread.