The best way to keep crabs for xmas

[fishyfingers]

I am going crabbing this weekend and need to know if I can keep my muddies and blue swimmers fresh in the fridge (alive, or on ice), and or freeze live whole or gutted and cook later?

Dave

:-? :D ;) :)

[schoondy]

Hello there dave the best way to keep sand crabs frosen is to cook them first when there fresh and then freeze them if you do it the other way round that is freeze them fresh and then cook them when needed the meat will be really mushy as the freezing proces itself seems to destroy fresh crab meat (its still very edible just mushy ) I hope this helps

[schoondy]

Also mud crabs are easy to keep alive for a couple of days aslong as you put them in a damp bucket with a hassian bag on top as for sand crabs there not as easy to keep alive and I would sudgest to just stick ice on top off them unless you happen to have a saltwater aquirium

[fishyfingers]

Do you mean a little salt water in a covered bucket for a couple of days will do the trick

[DaveSue_Fishos_Two]

G'day Fishfingers

I have done this on several ocassions with muddies but not with the blue swimmers, although I think it would work ok.

Bring the salt water to the boil, then throw the crabs in. Preferably whole and dead. Allow the water to come back to the boil and then cook for 5 minutes. Remove the crabs immediately from the boiling water and wash them under the cold tap. Remove the carapace and clean out the guts, then put the crabs in sealed plastic bags and freeze. On the day when you want to eat them, thaw them out, bring the salt water to the boil, then throw the crabs in. Cook for 8 minutes, remove from hot water and serve with ice cold xxxx!
The meat will be as fresh and firm as if you caught them on the day.

Happy eating!!

Dave

[serene_lady]

Dave do not put to much water in the bucket because if they take all the oxygen out and you do not change it the crabswill die. I would put them in a hessian bag and keep it wet andmake sure you keep it in the shade. I am talking about mud crabs. I find that cooking sand crabs and freezing is the best .Mud crabs should be cleaned first and frozen green. Thaw out in refrdgerator over night befor cooking

[robersl]

in the old days my father and his friends used to keep the muddies in a big pot in the river fatten them up during the week and grab them the day they wanted to cook them they tried this with 10 or 12 sand crabs one years left them in crab pot over night came back next day octopus had sucked them clean