Icing crabs before steaming

[crabby and son]

Three methods were discussed to keep crabs from losing claws while steaming. Shocking with 110 volts, an ice pick into the shell and icing them down. I just steamed a bushel of crabs and only found 4 loose claws on the bottom. I had the crabs in a cooler and put a layer of ice on them for an hour before steaming. None of them wanted to bite me either when I picked them from the cooler to put in the pot:thumbup: I think icing them is the way to go...............Gary

[raabman]

I did the same over teh weekend with the ice thing and only had a few claws at the bottom, crabs tasted good and looked even better with the claws attached for once!

[goose70]

Pardon my ignorance, but what's the connection between claws staying on and icing? Why do they come off in the first place? It's been a while, but I don't recall this being a problem when I steamed crabs.

Thanks.

[crabby and son]

Jeff, When you steam crabs without shocking them with 110 volts, sticking them with an ice pick by the apron or icing them, they will drop their claws big time. Way over 50%. All crab houses do one of the three. I just feel that icing is best............Gary

[paxfish]

We do none of those - right from the keeper pot to the steamer. We might lose a couple of claws.

Is this a bigger issue when they are out of the water for a while b4 cooking?

[Burchbeer]

Ice is Nice.

[crabby and son]

We do none of those - right from the keeper pot to the steamer. We might lose a couple of claws.

Is this a bigger issue when they are out of the water for a while b4 cooking?

Don't know about out of the water longer. Most times I steam when I get home from crabbing and have had most crabs lose claws if I don't ice them or stick with an ice pick. All crab houses I know of will do one of the three before steaming.............Gary

[gwag]

Other than presentation ,is there a reason this is a problem. I steam them, then immediately ice them down for half hour ,then gut and clean them using shears to remove legs and intact claws,after this I bring them home where my darling wife picks them ,then she makes me deliscous crab cakes and freezes the extra. She does not like crab cakes so she rarely eats them ,yet she loves the dip I make for christmas.Any one have suggestions for best storage method.

[PA228G]

Another newbie here - learned everything I know from this site. I usually bait the dock traps on Fri pm, size and store catch on ice Sat am, and re-bait. Steam whatever I have on Sat evening. Never seen a claw not on a crab when they go to the table. Are the spare claws you guys are taking about due to fighting before they die or due to the cooking process?

[Grizzdog]

Crabs drop their claws/legs as a defense. The ice slows this defense reaction and they die of the steam before they can drop claws/legs.

As far as meat storage I love my Food Saver. I have 10lbs of meat stocked right now and normally it will still taste fresh after 6 months.

[Capt. Dale]

A dead crab when steamed, is a whole crab when eaten!
Defiantly makes for a better presentation on the table.

[paxfish]

I'm betting the transport/dry storage contributes to this problem. Perhaps they are already stressed.

[polarized]

Crabs drop their claws/legs as a defense. The ice slows this defense reaction and they die of the steam before they can drop claws/legs.

As far as meat storage I love my Food Saver. I have 10lbs of meat stocked right now and normally it will still taste fresh after 6 months.

Grizzdog, I couldn't explain it any better !!! Also, the Food Saver works wonders !!!

[Blast n Cast]

Guys, if you mix ice and water to make an ice bath, you only need to wait 5 minutes before you steam. Typically, I dump 15 lbs of ice in a med cooler and then fill 1/3 way up with water from my hose. I drop in crabs, let sit for 5 minutes and then fish them out by hand, fold and place in pot. Add jo #2, steam on high for 30 minutes and they are ready to go. Here is the big secret.....next pull crabs from steam pot and layer into med cooler. On top of each layer add a little bit of additional jo#2. Close the cooler lid and the steam in the cooler gets the newly sprinkled jo "working" into the crabs. Serve crabs a bit of a time from the cooler, and they are all "worked-up" and piping hot!

In a word....awsome!

[Robert Holsapple]

Three methods were discussed to keep crabs from losing claws while steaming. Shocking with 110 volts, an ice pick into the shell and icing them down. I just steamed a bushel of crabs and only found 4 loose claws on the bottom. I had the crabs in a cooler and put a layer of ice on them for an hour before steaming. None of them wanted to bite me either when I picked them from the cooler to put in the pot:thumbup: I think icing them is the way to go...............Gary

I agree, been icing them for a few years, they stack nice and neat, taste good and don't throw their claws, plus you can keep them longer if you need to store for a while. Make sure the drain plug is open on the cooler and the cooler is tilted, I also just barely close the lid.:thumbup:

[wen]

not a problem here. we always cut them in half, rinse out each half with the hose and into the steamer.
The cleaning is done and they are very nicely seasoned.
Been doing it this way for years......
wen

[blwalt17]

Shocking is probably the easiest way. But icing them down is good too.

[gwag]

Wen do you cut them between the eyes to the back of the shell or pop the shell off?

[Southerly]

i agree with ice method but only do it for a few minutes.

i hose them good while in bushel basket/ lots of dirty water comes off their shells (south river), transfer them to a metal wash tub making sure every single one is alive at this step.

then pour bag of ice on top and just enough water that everyone has room to get under. take the whole kit in and crank up the heat high on the crab steamer pot. in that amount of time, the crabs have let go of each other and are docile enough to reach in with bare hands. also very easy to arrange them in compact layer in pot, season, and add a new layer. season is 1 part old bay, 2 parts kosher salt. by the time i get 3-4 layers ready, the steam is full tilt. the steam is 1 cup water, 1 cup strong beer, 1 cup vinegar.

put the crabs on steam, shut lid and note time on clock. 1/2 hour fully steams them without a noise from the pot. no fighting, no loss claws.

seems likreasonable that longer icing time may affect safe cooking time to kill potential parasites/bacteria, so i stick to my method very strictly and have good results.

a few years ago i experimented with reducing cooking time, trying to get shortest 'done' to avoid overcooking. got down to 15 mins and still seemd 100% done but tasted same and same texture. but i worried more about food safety and it just wasn't worth it. face it; you're pulling bottom feeders out of polluted water. chances are they have a belly full of 1/2 rotted chicken or equivalent. i like them fully cooked and never had a problem with 1/2 hour, and 2-5 monutes in the ice bath.

i read that crabs can 'pre-pop' their joints as an escape tactic. sort of like lizard's tails breaking off. don't know if it's true but next time you're dumping them in the basket; listen close. there's regular clatter of the struggle but there's also a more hollow popping sound here and there.

ps - saw guy on TV make crab earrings. just get them close; they know what to do. looked fun, but don't try it at home

[dogbig]

Here's what I have noticed regarding dropped claws. I find lots of dropped claws when the crabs are in the steamer pot as the water is coming up to steam.

Very few dropped claws if crabs are inserted into a pot that is already hot and steaming.

I guess as the crabs feel it getting warmer they get stressed and drop claws.

[night nurse]

SHOCKING ZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZ

Is so much FUN.
I too put them in a already steaming pot. Never a prob. Oh did I say SHOCKING them is FUN.. ;-)

TED

[Capt. Dale]

Its all about the presentation!
I find the 110v easiest for me