Dungeness Crabs – How Dead Is Too Dead

June 16, 2011

Question: I have a couple of questions that I’m hoping you can answer. First, what is the best method for keeping Dungeness crab alive and in the best cooking condition for hours, or even three or four days? Secondly, when less than 50 percent of the crabs quit moving, are they still edible? If so, is there a time frame for this? Thanks in advance for any information. Many of us crab catchers who need these answers might now be wasting an unnecessary number of delectable Dungeness crabs. (Rangal Y., Millbrae, Calif.)

Answer: Ideally, it’s always safest to keep the crabs alive until you’re ready to put them directly into the cooking pot. To keep them alive for transport, the crabs should be kept cool, moist, covered with fresh seaweed, and then covered with a soaked burlap bag on top. You should be able to keep them alive overnight (and maybe longer) this way, but I wouldn’t push it. To keep them alive for several days, you’ll need a well-aerated saltwater tank, ideally with filtration. Without good aeration and filtration, low dissolved oxygen becomes an issue, and as the crabs urinate in the water (turns bluish), without filtration the meat will slowly spoil.

As far as how long the crabs will remain edible after dying, I wouldn’t wait longer than an hour or so to toss them into the boiling pot. Once crabs die, the meat starts to decompose if not cooked quickly. One reason is because when the crab dies, its mid-gut gland (the source of food digestion enzymes) is soon attacked and damaged by those same enzymes, and then the enzymes spread out into the muscle tissue, breaking it down into mush. Yuck!

Bottom line … Dungeness crab are one of California’s most delicious and popular seafoods, and they are always best enjoyed when kept alive until ready to drop into the cooking pot.

Or......

Before hitting the road, pop the shell, yank the face, the tail and thumb off the gills.
Then break the body in half, and while holding all of the legs of one of the halves, sharply whip the guts out into a trash, water, or cleaning station.  You can make quick work of this once you get a little practice.

DO NOT RINSE!!!!

Now, you have clean crab that can be bagged or wrapped in a damp (not dripping wet) towel and placed in a fridge, or cooler for transport.  I doubt their needed, but keep the rinsed out shell with you during transport if DFW feels like checking you. 

If kept cool the entire time, crab can keep pre cooked for a day or two.  You don't have to worry about the enzymes breaking down the meat when dead, as you have effectively removed all that.  Boil when ready, or even better sprinkle with your favorite seasonings, and steam over beer.

+1 on the cleaning before cooking method.  If you don't eat the "butter" cleaning them before cooking makes things a lot less messy, even if you're going to cook them immediately.  The only thing I do a little differently is; I turn the crab upside down and place a cleaver blade on the bottom shell and hit it with my hand.  After doing that, the legs and body clusters pull right off and can be put into the steamer pot.