Clueless about Crab

by Anne
(Missouri)

I've never cooked a crab before, and someone told me to buy a live one from the store then boil it. I don't know if I can bring myself to put a live crab in boiling water! So it's just going to roll around in the water trying to escape until it dies? Is that how people really cook them or where they just joking with me? Don't get me wrong, I'm a meat eater, I just don't know if I could do this myself, if this is really how to cook a crab.

Crab-O-Licious Replied:-Hello, Anne! No fear about being clueless about crab, and no fear about how to kill them. Your friend was correct about putting the live crabs in boiling water. The "key" is having your water boiling. Please trust us...the crabs die instantly. They do not, do not, do not, crawl around the boiling water struggling for their lives. That would be hard for even me to do! It just don't happen when emerging live crabs into hot, rumbling, boiling water. They die in an instant.
One other alternative is to take a sharp object, pointy knife, and poke the crabs right between the eyes. During this process, too, they will die instantly.
With all this said and done, we, at Crab-O-Licious.com prefer the emerging in hot boiling water! It's your call! You can do it!!! Enjoy that crab! "Catch 'em! Clean 'em! Cook 'em! Eat 'em!"

How long are cooked snow crab legs okay to eat?

I have a take out dinner of Snow Crab legs which we forgot about yesterday. I bought it late Thursday night, how long is it good to eat?

Crab-O-Licious Replied:-If you haven't eaten them by the end of today (Monday), we would recommend calling them a loss. There's that room temperature time from leaving the restaurant and getting them home you can consider that enough "cool down time" before refrigerating them. Figure now it's been 4 days. If you really want to enjoy the leftover's, definitely get to crackin' 'em! TODAY! 3-5 days tops for refrigerated leftover crab legs, granted you got them properly stored in the frig. as well...

How long can cooked Blue Crabs sit the refrigerator?

by Dontr
(Phila,Pa)

How long can cooked blue crabs sit in the refrigerator?

Crab-O-Licious Replied:-They CAN sit there forever! but all kidding aside....Blue crab or any other type crab for that matter, should be treating with the same care and caution as any other food. I wouldn't recommend letting them sit around for more than a couple of days at best. After that, you begin to run this risk of spoilage. If you know you're not going to eat them right away withing a few days, then freeze them. That way they can be kept for months and ENJOY!-ed at you leisure and to your pleasure!

Storing dungeness crabs. Cleaned but not cooked.

by Dave
(Reno, NV.)

I have cleaned fresh dungeness crabs. Had them in the refrigerator uncooked. How long can I keep them before cooking them? Can I freeze them then cook them later?

Crab-O-Licious Replied:- When's dinner?... Seriously though, you should be able to keep raw dungeness crab in a COLD refrigerator for 2-3 days; maybe 4 (treat them the same as you would raw fish)and still be able to Enjoy! them.

However, we, here at Crab-O-Licious, highly recommend not only freezing them but also vacuum sealing them before freezing. In this way, you should be able to Enjoy! your Dungies for months to come. In fact, we have had dungeness a much as 12-14 months after catching and cleaning them by using our vacuum sealer before freezing! Just as fresh and tasty as the day we caught them. Enjoy!

Go back to How To Freeze Crab

Strike up a "crabby" conversation on Crab Chat

Get the whole scoop on How To Boil Crab

Check out our Crab Store! We appreciate your patronage!

How long do you cook king crab legs that are straight off of the crab boat?

by Tracy
(Big Fork, MT USA)

We were given some king crab legs that came straight off the boat (not through a store) We don't know if they were cooked or not. How can you tell? Does it matter cooking time wise?

Crab-O-Licious Replied:-Most crab including King crab, Dungeness and Snow crab will turn a distinct reddish color as they are cooking. Having said that, hopefully if the King crab legs you got we NOT cooked already then hopefully they were frozen. If not and if any substantial time had passed between the catching, cleaning and selling to you stages, I would have to question their fit-for-consumption status. Whomever gave these to you should probably have explained better whether or not they were fresh (raw) or pre-cooked.
As for the cooking time; If the legs were raw, whether they be King, Dungeness, Snow or otherwise, I would recommend boiling them for a good 15-20 minutes. However if you know they were already pre-cooked (as evidenced by the reddish color) then they would only need to be steamed until hot for serving. Either way (raw or pre-cooked) a good boiling won't hurt.
For future reference though it would be best to ask and be sure so as not to run the risk of possibly losing all that luscious crab. Enjoy!

Cooking Snow Crab Legs

I plan on cooking snow crab legs on Super Bowl Sunday. What's the easiest way to go about this? I have about 10 pounds to cook up and I'm not sure how to cook crab legs! I've never done this before, can you help? Also, crab legs are frozen. When, or should I thaw them out a day or two before the game? Please help! The whole family is coming over and I don't want to disappoint them and I don't want to ruin these crab legs!

Crab-O-Licious Replied:-No worry! Cooking snow crab legs are fairly simple and you don't "have to" thaw them out. Here's 4 easy steps to take...
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Place your snow crab legs in a roasting pan with a cup or 2 of water.
2. Seal the pan with foil and pop it into the oven for about 20 minutes. If you like, you can add some minced onion and your favorite herbs, or just the water to savor the crab flavor.
3. Carefully remove the foil.
4. Serve with your favorite crab dip recipe (you can find a wide variety, here, on Crab-O-Licious!) or with warmed butter and lemon wedges.
Also, you can keep them on "warm" in the oven to keep them warmed up while your crackin'!
Plan on 1 1/2 pounds of snow crab leg for every 2 people you serve.
Enjoy that crab! "Catch 'em! Clean 'em! Cook 'em! Eat 'em!"

How long do I have before I have to cook raw crab?

by Teri
(Houston, TX)

I trapped and cleaned blue crab this weekend and left them in the refrigerator at our weekend bay house. Will they still be good when I go back to the house one week later? How long will they be good before I have to cook them?

Crab-O-Licious Replied:-Good job on your Blue crab catch. Your crab are possibly still good if your refrigerator is very cold but give them a good "smell test" first.
By cleaning them live first, (again GOOD job! because that's not for the squeamish)you have probably saved your catch as they should NEVER be stored raw whole.
Next time you are out crabbing and if you know you won't be getting around to ENJOY!-ing for a few days, I suggest that you freeze them after cleaning them. Then there will be no doubt about whether or not they will good for you when you are ready for them!

How long after a crab is dead before it must be cooked?

by Gord
(B.C.faerie)

Boiling crab must be cooked within how much time of it dying?

Crab-O-Licious Replied:-Crab should NOT be allowed to die if you intend to eat it. Remember: Dead crab is BAD crab! In order to keep crab alive you must be sure they are getting their oxygen supply replenished either by means of an aerator or by doing so manually by repeatedly scooping and pouring water out of and back into the container you are holding them in. Your other alternative is to clean them while alive and then the legs/knuckles can be kept on ice or frozen until boiling. Again, however, let me stress that your crab should not be allowed to die if you truly wish to Enjoy! them.

Go back to Crab Chat

Check out some "Crab-O-licious" Crab Meat Recipes!


Check out more about crab, go to Crab-O-Licious.com Homepage

Can I Still Cook Dead Crab?

I bought a live crab. I got it home within a few hours and it is dead. It was on ice. Can I still cook it?

Crab-O-Licious Replied:-We wouldn't cook that dead crab now if it were us. In just a few hours that crab is being overtaken by live bacteria which can only be dealt with by either, 1)cleaning the crab immediately, or by 2) emerging it in hot boiling water while it is still yet alive.
If this live crab, now, has been dead a few hours, it really isn't worth the risk. Yes, you "could" boil that baby up, but consuming it afterwards could also lead to food poisoning. It's not worth.
Next time you buy a live crab, ask the sellers if they would clean and package that crab for you first. 9 out of 10, they'll be glad to! Then you can place the crab legs in the frig. for up to 4 or 5 days (max.) and then boil the legs. Or you can put them in the freezer to keep much longer.

Pre-cooked crab?

by Derek Rose
(Scotland)

I have been given a bag of frozen crab claws, how can i tell if they are pre-cooked?

Crab-O-Licious Replied:-Crab that has been pre-cooked will be reddish in color as opposed to the more common brownish colored shells and legs of Dungeness crab, King crab and the like. If they are still brownish or you just want to be sure, then go ahead and re-boil them for 20 minutes or so. That way there will be no question about whether or not they are fully cooked. Enjoy!

How do I cook dungeness crab from a grocery store?

by Lori
(Iowa)

I live in the central area of US and love dungenous crab. When I was at the grocery store today, they had frozen whole dungenous crabs and I was very surprised. So I bought two. Like I said they were frozen, but looked beautiful. My daughter doesn't like a fish smell in her home, so we thought we would cook them on the grill outside. First of all, do I thaw them? Can you grill them? We could go ahead and steam them but were wondering if there was other ways to cook. Thanks.

Crab-O-Licious Replied:-Can you grill Dungeness Crabs? Absolutely! Definitely thaw them out first, heat your grill up and have your butters or sauces ready and put them on the grill on a medium heat. If you are using charcoal, make sure you spread the coals out before putting your crab legs on the grill. It may get too hot and cook the shells too much before actually heating the crab meat.
If you are using a gas grill, keep the heat on a medium setting so you don't fry the shells while trying to heat the meat.
Your store bought Dungeness Crabs have been boiled, so they are ready for grilling. Note: The crabs should be cleaned first!
Enjoy those Dungies!

Crab Question

by Ricky
(Redwood City)

I caught some dungeness crabs and cooked them. If I refrigerate them, how long will they last and still be edible? Thanks!

Crab-o-licious.com Replied:-Hi, Ricky! If you keep the crabs in the refrigerator, you'll want to get them ate within 3-5 days. However, if you decide to freeze them, they will keep for up to 6-8 months or more, granted you freeze them and package the crabs properly, like with a good food saver! Thanks for visiting Crab-O-Licious.com and enjoy those dungeness crabs!

Can't cook my crab just yet!

by A.C.
(Bandon, Oregon)

Can't cook fresh caught crab for 15 hours. Is it okay to keep them in a cooler in salt water and stir it periodically as you suggested until tomorrow?

Crab-O-Licious Replied:-I do believe it would be okay BUT.... You would have to get up several times throughout the night to do so in order to be sure they did not run out of oxygen and die. The better solution would be to clean them live and put the raw legs/knuckles in the refigerator or freezer until cooking tomorrow. Enjoy that crab when you can! "Catch 'em! Clean 'em! Cook 'em! Eat 'em!"

Go back to How To Freeze Crab

Strike up a "crabby" conversation on Crab Chat

Check out our Crab Store! We appreciate your patronage!