How to Freeze Crab
A How to Freeze Crab Tutorial
Once you have boiled or steamed your crab you will want to eat it within 5 days or choose to freeze it for up to four months. Freezing crab is the easiest part of crab fishing. As with all parts of the crab make sure that it has thoroughly cooled before attempting to freeze.
Freezing a Whole Crab:
Remove all the pointy end pieces of the legs. They easily snap off or you can use kitchen shears. If you don’t remove these pointy pieces the will puncture your bag and cause your crab to get freezer burnt. Simply fold all the legs and claws under the crab body and put in a freezer zip lock bag. Use a straw to suck out any extra air and seal the crab air tight. Use a marker to write the date on the crab. These frozen crabs will keep their sweet taste for up to 3 months.
Freezing Crab Legs:
Same as freezing a whole crab, you want to remove all the pointy leg pieces to avoid wrecking your freezer bags. You will also need to clean the crab, if you haven’t already done so. You can find our easy step by step guide on cleaning crabs by clicking this text right here. Use a zipper seal freezer bag and a straw to suck all the air out before sealing in the crab. Make sure the crab is packed in the bag air tight before freezing. Remember to mark the date on the bag.
Freezing Peeled and Cleaned Crab Meat:
I have not managed to peel my crabs and save them for later. I loose all self control when it comes to crab. Luckily David is a crab peeling wizard! He can peel two crabs to my one and save some for later or for freezing. It usually doesn’t amount to much, but is a treat none-the-less.
Simply put the crab in a freezer bag and mark the date on it.
To thaw the crab take it out the night before and leave it in the refrigerator. Check out this awesome page to find out how to serve up your previously frozen crab meat.
- You need a cooked and cooled crab.
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Discussion (4) ¬
Hi there. I’ve tried freezing cooked crab many ways, but the only way that truly seems to work for me is to make up a solution of powdered milk (just the way you would use it if you were camping), put the crab in a freezer container, then cover it all the way with the reconstituted powdered milk. Make sure to leave at least 1 inch for expansion.
I first heard of this when living in Alaska, and finally tried it in desperation when I ended up with too much crab–if there is such a thing. I couldn’t believe it when I took it out of the freezer 6 months later and was actually able to use it on a salad! After thorough draining, of course.
I suspect this method works because of the combination of citric acid and milkfat in the powdered milk, plus keeping air away from the crab. Whatever the reason, it really works.