What is the best way to store crabs in different forms?

Categories: How to store

Crabs, like many seafood products, can only last a few days from the date of purchase. It's good that they can be frozen.

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Fans of this delicacy need to know how to store crabs in different forms. Each of the methods has certain recommendations that must be followed, otherwise, by consuming expired crab meat, you can get severe food poisoning.

Proper storage of crabs

When purchasing these crustaceans live, you should opt for more active marine inhabitants. Crabs for cooking should be stored in a cold place (usually a refrigerator shelf where vegetables are stored) where the thermometer shows the optimal temperature for storing this product - +4 °C - +6 °C, in a bag with holes. Under such conditions, seafood will be suitable for consumption for 2-3 days.

To make the crab feel more comfortable, before putting it in the refrigerator, place it in cool water (2-3 cm), which needs to be slightly salted. You need to make holes on the lid of the tray with crustaceans. Crabs do not like containers tightly closed. Products that have a strong aroma should not be stored with crabs.

It’s good if you have the opportunity to use a large aquarium, equipped with a stable system that ensures proper metabolism and energy, and filled with water from the sea (especially when you plan to keep the crabs alive for a long period).

If you plan to save live crabs, then they need to be provided with the correct temperature conditions (+10 ° C), otherwise they will not live long at lower temperatures. In addition, they should be constantly fed with small fish. Then you can keep the crabs for about a couple of weeks or even months.

How to store crabs fresh

You can only store crabs outside the refrigeration unit for a couple of hours. After which, they will begin to deteriorate and smell unpleasant.

It is not advisable to store crustaceans without packaging. Boiled crabs should be stored in the refrigerator in foil or in a plastic tray with a lid, and fresh crabs should be stored with a cloth rag.

The expiration date of seafood is indicated by a dull surface. It should be consumed immediately, and if there is already an unpleasant odor, it should be thrown away.

Storing crabs frozen

Storing crabs in the freezer is not the best option. Often, after defrosting, the meat seems to stick to the bones, and if you keep it in the device for too long, it becomes tough. But still, sometimes it is difficult for housewives to do without this process.

Optimal temperature conditions are considered to be -18 °C. They must be stable; jumps are unacceptable. Maximum crabs can be stored in such conditions for no longer than 3 months.

Crabs purchased frozen should not be thawed and then placed in the freezer.The purchased product must be immediately placed in the freezer, then it will be suitable for a whole year. Thawed crab should be eaten the same day.

To prevent the crab from becoming chapped or frozen when stored in the freezer, it must first be wrapped in cling film.

It’s good when you can put the crustacean in the freezer in a box. Repeated freezing of fresh and boiled crabs is unacceptable.

Storing boiled crabs

The finished crab dish can be stored in a refrigerator for no longer than 3 days. After this period, it will become not tasty at all.

It’s just that boiled crab will only last a few hours in a usable condition on the kitchen table.

All of the above rules are very important, because failure to comply with them can lead to severe poisoning. It’s ideal if you can buy crabs fresh and cook them right away.

See the video “How to pack and store crab”:


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