When do you have to cook live crab after the catch?

[jjdavis2222]

  I am going crabing on Saturday and I am having a bbq on Sunday, it would be nice to cook the crab then. But will they be any good or will they go bad if I put them in the frig?

Also going to try to get into a salmon or two. Havnet been out once all year, our boat was in the shop since the beggining of july.
Are there still a few Kings out in MA11 or silvers?

thanks

[cackle]

i believe once they die there are no good so if you kept them in circulated salt water till sunday then cooked them that would prob work

[SpokaneSlayer]

My dad has cooked up frozen crabs from a previous catch and they came out fine.

[PolarBear]

They have to be cooked ALIVE.  The second that they die they start to release poisonous enzymes which can lead to all kinds of bad stuff for your guts.  There is a reason that commercial crabbers get $0 for dead loss, they are too toxic for human consumption.

[cackle]

yup just try to keep them alive they wont live in saltwater if the water isnt changed out

[popeshawnpaul]

Polarbear is right.  You need to cook them directly after catching them and then put them in the fridge.  They will actually taste better the next day like chinese food...  

[GEARHEAD]

i third that, cook them immediately when ya get home, they will be fine the next day. i break mine in half and then steam them in 2inches of water. i cracked some crab for lunch today.Mmmmmmmmmmm,

[PolarBear]

They also taste better if you kill and clean just before you boil them.  I get a pot of saltwater to a rolling boil right where I am going to "dispatch" the crab and toss them in immediately.  You don't get as much "head cheese" in the meat.

[cackle]

we bust the top shell off and wash them before putting them in the boiling water

[Professor Chaos]

Cook it while it is still alive.  Cooked can be refrigerated for about 3 or 4 days in my experience.
I cook mine alive in salty water.  I find it has much better flavor than cleaning them first.

[bullcanyon]

We always clean ours first.  Can't bring ourselves to eat something that has been boiled with the guts.  I know lots of people that do it that way and swear by it.  We might be missing out on something. 

[PolarBear]

When I was in Alaska the locals (all 5 of them) on the island wouldn't eat crab that had not been cleaned before cooking.  The same with shrimp.