how to have fresh steamed bluecrabs in the late afternoon that I buy live in the morning
I have a pretty awesome live blue crab hookup, but I can only get crabs there super early in the morning. I want to have a crab feast this coming weekend, but wont be able to have company over until late afternoon / early evening. I have heard they bluecrabs can live a long time out of water if you keep them in a cool humid spot, but i dont want to waste any of them. What are my options for having the best crabs when am able to have company over?
I assume my options are as follows, but I am not sure what I should do:
1.) Steam them in the morning and resteam them for a short period of time to heat them back up for the party. Tips for resteaming or reheating steamed crabs would be helpful. I had always considered that kind of a no no.
2.) Try and keep them alive, to be as fresh as possible. I am just worried that there would be too long of a gap between when i buy them, and when i will be able to cook them.
Best Answer
I think it's a fine question. If I were in your position, I'd definitely go for option 2 - I think pre-cooked and re-steamed crab would end up a lot like oversteamed crab: mushy and gross.
As for keeping them alive, when I was a kid we used to go crabbing every weekend. Mom would just keep them in a cardboard box in the kitchen until we were ready to eat them for dinner (much to my dad's dismay).
Crabs can live for several days out of water as long as they are healthy and are kept cool, moist, and stress-free. The optimal temperature is about 50° F., anything colder will ultimately kill them.
If I remember correctly, mom would keep a damp towel on top of the box. But that may have been dad not wanting to look at them.
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How do you keep steamed crabs fresh?
Steamed crabs may be kept in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. Make sure to keep them in an air-tight plastic bag. They should be refrigerated as soon as possible after steaming. The longer they remain at room temperature, the more bacterial growth will occur.How do you keep steamed crabs warm?
Cover the Crab Legs If you're wanting to keep the crab legs warm for a while, then you can try covering the plate that they're on with aluminum foil. This should trap the heat well enough that they will stay warm for a while longer.How long can steamed crabs stay at room temperature?
Cooked crab only lasts about 2 hours if left out at room temperature. After that amount of time, bacteria quickly start to grow on the meat, causing it to go bad. This happens at temperatures between 40\xb0F to 140\xb0F, which is likely the range of a typical kitchen.Are steamed crabs good the next day?
Whole steamed crabs kept refrigerated at 40\xb0 F (the standard temperature of a refrigerator) will be safe to eat for 5-7 days. Make sure to keep them in an air-tight bag. After 3 days, however, the crab meat will start to harden and lose its freshness.I Got Fresh Steamed Maryland Blue Crabs Online? - WHAT ARE WE EATING? - The Wolfe Pit
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Answer 2
I'll answer question 2, as I think if you can store them well, you wouldn't want to cook them early.
Option 1: Crabs from what I understand can live for days out water in the right circumstances. The best way is to drop the temperature (they'll become more lethargic) and keep it moist. You could take a cooler and put some ice and then find a way to keep the crabs on top of the ice, but out of the water (something to hold them up even after the ice melts). Alternatively, you could just put some ice packs in their with some newspaper that is soaked with water. That should provide the moisture without a pool of water. Make sure you leave the cooler open a crack.
If they get submerged in standing water, they will eventually suffocate when they deplete the oxygen.
Option 2: Put them in a basket or wooden crate (something that isn't airtight) and then cover with a burlap sack or towel that has been moistened. You can then put ice on top of that. That should drop the temperature enough and keep the air humid.
Couple references: http://www.bluecrab.info/cooking_faq.htm http://www.ehow.com/how_5920109_keep-live-crabs-boiling-later.html
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Images: Maria Orlova, NEOSiAM 2021, Andrea Piacquadio, Andrea Piacquadio