Best way to preserve Dungeoness???

[coryellk]

I went to see relatives in Birch Bay last week. Between the boys' punchcards and my own ticket, we put away some serious crab meat. I cracked them, cleaned them, boiled them, picked them, then packed the meat. What a pain in the ass this was!!! I almost-froze the meat in cheap ziplock bags then vacuum packed these nearly frozen blocks once I took them out of the cheap ziplocks. I have tuna, yellowtail, dorado, and (california) halibut that lasts for a couple years under this same treatment. How long can I expect my crab meat to last?

[J-Ship]

Coryelk,

Congrats on the dungie haul. I catch a lot of crab every year (insert joke) and here is my take, FWIW. From your summary it sounds like you killed and cleaned them before you cooked them, which is definitely the way to go for a variety of reasons.
Anyway, if you're gonna freeze the meat you gotta add milk,( I've also heard of people freezing it in salted water though Ive never tried that.) Vacuum-packed is a definite plus but keep in mind, crab is MUCH more perishable than fish. Personally, if I can't eat it or give it away in two months its headed for the can. On some days when I'm out with my brother and his kids and we have 8 pots soaking, I head home with an assload of crab and I find myself trying to give it away to anybody who will take it. Its just so much better fresh that I feel like I'm wasting it when I freeze it.
The "oldest" crab I've had was frozen four months and it wasn't that good, many wouldn't touch it, some would love it, I guess it all depends on how picky your are. Just don't expect it to last anywhere near as long as the fish you've caught...and I'm sure you know this but never refreeze.

[David Stricker]

I've been around the block with crab, especially when I was living in Bellingham. I would punch close to a hundred a year on my CRC. Giving them away is the only way to go with that much.

One of the easiest ways to process crab was everything you did (boiled in sea water I hope) except the picking part. Freeze them up in the shell and pick them when you want to eat them or use them in a recipie.

You see, you have already cracked and cleaned and cooked them why take them out of one package just to put them in another.

If you have a deep freezer that does not auto defrost you may get up to four maybe six months MAX.

What about canning dungeness?

[Siv]

I agree with the guys above, crab does not keep that well no matter how you pack it and freeze it. I have had the best luck freezing it in the shell as David mentions. I also catch a bunch, eat my fill over a couple days and give the rest away to VERY grateful friends and neighbors.

Tight Lines

[Sharkfishermn]

There is a way to do it if you can. You boil your crab for 10 min (just enough to make the meat firm enough to crack), Crack your crab and put the meat in your jars and preasure cook for 45-1hour. Crab meat will stay firm when you eat it 5yrs later!!! You want to put a pinch of salt in the jar and a splash of water..and any other seasonings you may want to try.... Happy Hookin!! Or I guess I should say Happy Potting!!!!

[Emzbuddy]

easy peasy and my cleaned picked crab last 6 -8 months, no problem.
Even longer if you use a dedicated freezer as opposed to the fridge combo.
Boil water - then add salt (or use sea water) adding salt after boiling reduces damage to cooking vessel (really). Add crab to boiling water, when water comes back to boil - set timer for 7 minutes. remove & cool immediately .
Pick crab clean. Using good quality ziplock bag, load bags so a nice 1.5-2.0 inch diameter cigar log can be rolled. Add 2-3 TBSP water and 1 slice of lemon. Roll er up nice and tight (remove air, water helps this), rubber band roll (excess layers protect from cracking, tearing) Any more crab and the thaw process degrades quality. Mark with date - FIFO (first in, first out)
Thaw when needed by placing log in fridge for 6-8 hours prior to use. Crab will be perfect.

[David Stricker]

Doug I have followed your process EXACTLY sans lemon. Sea water, back to boil, then 7 min cook time, splash of water in bag to displace air when rolling, that whole bit, works great.

Everyone if you are not canning use Doug's process.

I just leave them in shells now because if I am giving crab halves away at least I haven't spent the extra time to crack pick and pack them. Personal preference is all. I would not tell someone who says they cook them for 10 minutes to only cook them for 7 minutes.

[J-Ship]

Doug,

I will have to try your process, I'm still not buying that it will be anything close to fresh, but if they are I will share my results and admit the error of my ways.
Anyway, the reason I'm posting is that it sounds like some of you guys cook your crab whole. If that is indeed true, I don't understand why.
Years ago I learned from a pro crabber that is was best to kill and clean them first and here are the reasons why; there are biotoxins in the organs that are released during boiling, you can fit way more crab in the pot if its just legs and shoulders, they cook faster, they are easier to clean before cooking than after, cooking whole crab has more odor (this is debatable), and this is very low on the scale but the humanity factor, splitting em in half (instant death) vs putting a live animal in a pot of boiling water (I can still hear their screams at night.) JK!
The only reasons I've heard for cooking them whole is that they taste better that way (I cannot tell the difference), presentation, and lastly some people consider the crab "butter" a delicacy...since I don't eat the butter and couldn't give a damn about presentation, I was wondering if some of you guys that cook them whole have other reasons for doing so? I'm all for learning.