Steaming frozen crab

by Sarah
(Santa Clarita, Ca)

I don't have a crab steamer, is there another way to steam our crab?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies-Oh yes! There are other ways to steam crab if you don't have a steamer! One way for steaming frozen crab is simply putting them in a baking dish with about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of water, and herbs and spices if you prefer, and putting them in the oven at about 350 degrees till they're hot, maybe about 20-30 minutes.

Another way for steaming frozen crab is doing the same method in a dutch oven or larger pan...stove top on medium-high for 15-20 till hot. These ways are not the "preferable techniques" to steaming, but they aren't forbidden, either, and they're doable. If you don't have a regular steamer, it's ok to "think outside the box!"

Enjoy your crab legs and cheers! "Catch 'em! Clean 'em! Cook 'em! Eat 'em!"

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My king crab is frozen, what do I do?

by Jasmine
(Atlanta)

I want to cook my frozen king crab legs quickly.

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies-Get some water in your pot, turn the burner on high, put them legs in the steamer pot and steam those King Crab Legs up!

It doesn't take long. Only a few minutes to get your water boiling in your steamer and a few minutes to heat them thoroughly. Within about 15 minutes you'll be enjoying those King Crab Legs! I'm jealous! Nevertheless, do enjoy!

Is Frozen Crab Good After a Year?

by David
(Indianapolis,Indiana, United States)

I have had my crab for about a year frozen. Is it still safe to eat?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies-If you froze the crab and packaged it properly, we don't see any reason why you can't still enjoy it. Especially if you vacuumed sealed the crabs.

We have kept frozen crab in our freezer for a year and have steamed it up and ate them, so we can't see why your crabs wouldn't still be good after a year! They should still be just as fresh as when you put first froze them.

The only thing you might want to take caution is in the packaging...Are there any visible poke-through holes in the package? Do they have any signs of freezer burn? If so, then, no, don't eat them. But if you don't see any holes or tears in the packaging and no signs of freezer burn, then go ahead and enjoy the heck out them!


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Previously Steamed Then Frozen Blue Crab

We bought steamed blue crabs that were steamed that morning and put them in the chest freezer that evening. How long will they be good to thaw and eat? And if they are OK, how would you reheat them?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies-Granted that you have properly packaged the crabs for the freezer, you should be able to keep them frozen up to 2-3 months, max, since they were already processed and steamed.

As to reheating them, that's up to you! If you are refering to the Blue Crabs in hard shell state and you want to crack the legs at the table, simply take them out of the freezer and put them in your steamer to reheat them.

Or, you can thaw them out at room temperature and crack the shells and pick the meat out and try one of our Crab Meat Recipes! Either way, you should be good to go! Enjoy!

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Frozen Crab Still Taste Good?

Does fresh frozen crab taste as good once it is thawed?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies-In my personal opinion, once the crab has been cooked and frozen and thawed out for consumption, it's tasty meat cold or hot! With this said, the answer to your question is really up to the taster!

Some people may not like cold crab and prefer it to be heated, but many of us like crab cold, great for salads or a delicious sandwich! Again, that's totally up to the taster!
Enjoy your crab anyway you like!

Using my frozen crab

by Porsche
(Washington)

My husband froze some crab legs, now I want to make crab cakes. Do they shell easy frozen, or do I need to thaw them first?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies-Frozen crab legs are tough to deal with if not thawed out some. We usually take them out of the freezer and thaw them out in a sink of cold water (with wrapping still on). They don't have to be completely thawed, but they are definitely easier on the fingers if they are mostly thawed out before picking out the meat.

Frozen Crab

by Cesar
(Los Banos, CA, USA)

I caught 6 crabs and brought them home. Then, I put them in the freezer without boiling. Is that okay or not? Can I still boil them and eat?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies-Unfortunately no! They are no longer fit for consumption. By freezing or even refrigerating live crab, you cause them to die and dead crab are BAD crab! If you are unable to boil them right away, I recommend cleaning them live. That way the crab legs/knuckles can be frozen or refrigerated for quite some time before the need to cook them.

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Crab Meat Frozen in Plastic Container

I picked up crab meat (cooked) in a plastic container and didn't use it all so I stuck it in the freezer. This was in February. Is it still safe/good to use?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies-I would certainly think so provided a few basic food-handling precautions were followed: Was the leftover portion allowed to thaw to room temperature? If so and if you re-use it, you may be risking food poisoning; Did you freeze the left-over portion right away? Then yes, it should be good still.

We have frozen crab meat for months (up to 10 or 11) at a time and it was still plenty enjoyable. We would have kept them longer with no thoughts about whether they were fresh or not. The reason we didn't? We ran out!

Mind you we do vacuum seal our crab; whole, legs and lump meat before freezing.

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Recipes With Frozen Crabs

I'm looking for recipes that I can make with frozen crabs. The crabs are caught and cooked and I cleaned the meat out. I have about a quart of crab meat. I'd like to prepare some recipes /appetizers that i can freeze for serving at a later time. Have Any?

I have made crab cakes, crab in filo sheets,crab melt aways and am thinking of trying crab in crescent rolls and freeze them unbaked or should I bake a little and then freeze. Any other ideas?

Thanks, June

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies-Oh yes! Check out our Crab Meat Recipes page for more crab dishes to try. We absolutely love the Crab Stuffed Portabella, the Crab Lasagna is absolutely to die for, and many other crab recipes on this page can be made ahead of time, cooled and frozen for later use! (Don't forget to look below the form, too!) And "trust me," if "I" can make them, so can you!

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Froze Crab Without Being Boiled

by Thelma Lee
(Canada)

It is ok to freeze a crab without it being cooked and then defrost it and then cook and eat it?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies-This can be done but.... ONLY if you clean the crab "live" before freezing them. If you freeze whole crab regardless of the species (i.e. Dungeness, Blue Crab, Red Rock crab,etc.)they will die.

If they die before cleaning, toxins are released into their bodies causing contamination of all their meat. The end result is that your hard earned crab are no longer fit for consumption. Remember; Dead crab are BAD crab!

We always recommend cleaning the crab live BEFORE freezing them if you can't boil them up right away. That way your crab will still be good when you have a hankering for some crab legs. Enjoy! "Catch 'em! Clean 'em! Cook 'em! Eat 'em!"

Frozen Crab

by Chantal
(N.C.)

Is there someone out there that can help me with this question? I bought some live crab from the store and froze them as soon I got them home. That was 2-4 weeks ago. Is it safe to cook them or should I throw them away?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies-We would throw them away. As soon as you get live crabs home, they need to be cleaned and boiled, or, boiled then cleaned immediately before freezing them. The process is the same like as fish. You don't store fish in the freezer without gutting them. Neither should you do so with crab.

Frozen Blue Crabs Edible

by DJ
(South Jersey)

I caught some blue crabs yesterday evening. Put them on ice in the cooler and my son playing around closed the lid and plug. Some were moving some were not, but all were very very cold. Are they ok to eat? Most are boiling now, and figured since they were well iced they shouldn't be bad.

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies-This is a tough question. I would definitely not think twice about the ones that were still moving. I'm sure they good for boiling and processing.

However, it's really a tough call with the inactive blue crabs as they were not cleaned before putting them on ice.

Without "being there" and seeing for ourselves and considering their frozen state, we can only suggest calling the inactive crabs a loss for your safety and recommend discarding them.

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How can I keep the crab frozen out of the fridge for 15 hours?

by Mara
(California)

I'm going overseas and was wondering if there is a way that I could freeze the crab legs and take them with me in the plane for 15 hours out of the fridge? Is that even possible?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies-Absolutely! Pack them in dry ice in a styrofoam cooler and you're on your way! First thing, though, you should check into the "rules" in the country that you are going in to. You don't want to get them successfully there and find that someone else may be eating your crab!

Frozen crab thawed?

by Linda
(Japan)

I went to a fish market yesterday and bought a frozen crab. They put it on ice for me and when I got home I put it in the fridge. This morning I woke up to black water all over the bottom of my fridge. It had come from the crab. Does this mean it is not safe to eat the crab now? Should I have put it in the freezer when I got home?

Crab-O-Licious.com Replies-Not necessarily! If this crab was frozen when you purchased it, and then, you put it in the frig. and it thawed out there, still under normal frig. cold temperature, I imagine your crab is still safe to steam up and eat! The black, or possible, dark coloring in the liquid substance while thawing is just the color of the fluids from after being boiled.

After boiling whole crabs and then freezing them they still retain some fluids from the boiling process. It's perfectly normal to have some discoloring fluids retained within the shells and such. Your whole crabs are more than likely yet to be cleaned? Then, yes, this is what has happened and it's perfectly normal.

From here, clean your crab and go ahead and steam them up and enjoy the heck out of them!

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