Crab question...

[BassYakR]

Someone just told me my crabs were no longer good. Heres the story. We went crabbing yesterday and got 6.5 doz crabs didnt wanna rush n boil em yesterday so we kept em in the cooler on ice and are goin to boil em today... Someone told me today that u cant do that bc it killed them so they are no longer good... My parents have done this for years with no problems... Whats yalls opinions?

Samsung Galaxy S3 (Android dominating the world!)

[southern151]

No expert but, if they stayed cold, I don't see a problem.

[BassYakR]

We just dumped em out n started to clean em and they are 90percent still alive

Samsung Galaxy S3 (Android dominating the world!)

[southern151]

Kinda like not eating "dead" crawfish...

[FF_T_Warren]

Alive is good. As long as they not under the water

[inchspinner]

Cook dat!!

[inchspinner]

If theyre moving and not drowned, boil the water n grub!

[southern151]

What happens when a crab drowns in a cooler full of ice? Do they become waterlogged?

[AceArcher]

If crabs are kept in ICE cold water even if they died in the water they are still fine for a day or so after.....

With that said.... ideally you want to keep them sitting on top of the ice in a cooler and a wet towel laying over them, with the lid propped up a hair so that they can get oxygen.


using a method like this crabs can survive for 2-3 days out of water with very low mortality.

[saute86]

They are still good unless they smell like urine. We keep them in a cooler for days at work. Cook them. If one taste bad don't eat it.

[big nd fan]

If you put crabs in an ice chest and do not drain it, they will drown.

Just open the plug and keep them cold and they will be good. A guy I know used to put them live in a freezer and boil them later.

Big ND Fan

[Duck Butter]

The problem with eating dead crawfish is that you don't now how long they have been dead, you may get one that has been dead a week, you know how long the crabs were dead if you caught em the day before

somthing about urea or something that is released when they die

[Flatfishfreak]

Dump em out in a sunny spot most will start trying to kill you again in a few minutes!!!

10% of the fishermen catch 90% of the fish

[Gerald]

Here is what I do to keep the crabs before cooking them.

I bring plenty of ice with me to keep them cool after catching them. When I get home, I usually transfer the crabs to a 48 qt. ice chest. I then cover them with a wet towel. I put a generous amount of ice on top of the towel.

I then open the drain and put in a piece of cloth or paper towel. This helps keep in the cold air but allows the water to drain out. I put a 2x4 board under the opposite end of the ice chest to allow all the water to flow toward the drain.

I then put the ice chest in a spot that will be out of the sun. This is important to find a cool shady spot to keep the ice chest from getting hot from sitting in the sun. During the hot summer time, I also cover the ice chest with a wet towel.

Check the ice chest and add more ice as needed. I usually don't boil my crabs until the next day and this method will keep them alive for a couple days if needed.

I am not sure if this is true ......but......I have been told that if a crab is stored up-side down, it will die. Also, if a crab is not cold [ie. still moving around] it will "drop" the claws when it is put into the boiling water.

Here are a few pictures. The crabs in the basket are "cull" size after I keep all that are 6"+ tip to tip.

[Gerald]

Here are few more pictures.

.

[AceArcher]

Originally Posted by Gerald

Here are few more pictures.

.

That is one stud of a jimmy crab your little boy is holding!!!! Bushel of that size would probably go for over 200$ in maryland right now.

Well done!

[cajun bill]

My experience is that if you put your crabs in the water before you put the heat to it, most of the crab legs and claws will stay on the crab. Think about the Aesop fable, the one about the frog that sits in the water and doesn't jump out when he can but then the water gets so hot that it cooks his little a$$. If you throw live crabs into boiling water, most of them will "eject" their legs and claws, but if you bring the heat up gradually, that won't happen. Read this in a cooking article years ago by a N.O. chef so I tried it and it works. Not saying all the legs/claws will still be on the crabs, but most will. Now, if you've got to make a second batch, you're SOL.:*****:

[AceArcher]

AND for gods sake... PLEASE dont boil your crabs.... STEAM THEM with seasonings on the outside of the shell.

everything else is better boiled.... crawfish, shrimp, etc..... but crabs are meant to be steamed!!!!

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by AceArcher

AND for gods sake... PLEASE dont boil your crabs.... STEAM THEM with seasonings on the outside of the shell.

everything else is better boiled.... crawfish, shrimp, etc..... but crabs are meant to be steamed!!!!

My neighbor cooked some this way and just threw some OldBay on them and steamed em, they were awesome. May start doing this also, the insides weren't as messy when peeling them

[Goooh]

Originally Posted by AceArcher

AND for gods sake... PLEASE dont boil your crabs.... STEAM THEM with seasonings on the outside of the shell.

everything else is better boiled.... crawfish, shrimp, etc..... but crabs are meant to be steamed!!!!

I like mine's boiled barely then soaked, I want juice and seasoning in my crabs just like my crawfish.

So, this is my way of disagreeing.