If the blue crab is dead when you cook it, the meat will be mushy and there is a risk of harmful bacteria growing in the shell of the dead crab. By placing them in a cool, damp, stress-free environment, you can keep the crabs alive. Place the blue crab in a cooler or bushel basket (a basket made of wood) lined with an ice pack (an ice bag made of frozen gel) and covered with a wet burlap sack. If you live near water where blue crabs are caught, you can keep them in a fish box that is placed in the water. Remember, never place crabs in the refrigerator or in a storage room where there is standing water.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Storing Crab in the Cooler
Step 1. Purchase a cooler box
Choose a regular-sized cooler at a supermarket or sporting goods store. To store more than 5 crabs, we recommend using a larger cooler. This way, the blue crabs won't pile up on each other.
Alternatively, you can store crabs in a wooden bushel basket. This method is very suitable for crabs caught in the sea (commercial watermen), not breeding results
Step 2. Place the icepack at the bottom of the cooler
This is to keep the temperature at around 10 °C. Crabs can die if the temperature is less than 10 °C. You can also place a wet towel over the icepack to keep the cooler moist and keep the crabs from getting too cold.
- Alternatively, you can place ice (covered with a damp cloth) in the bottom of the cooler. However, you should periodically remove the melted ice. Stagnant water can suffocate crabs.
- Do not place ice or icepacks on top of the crabs.
Step 3. Cover the cooler with a damp burlap sack
This is to keep the crab moist. If the crab is not moist, its gills will dry and make it die. We recommend that you use a burlap sack because it allows oxygen circulation. Crabs need oxygen to stay alive.
- Place the cooler in a dark, shady place and not exposed to sunlight. This is also useful so that the gills are not dry.
- Blue crabs can survive without water for up to 24 hours, as long as they are placed in a cool, damp area.
Method 2 of 3: Keeping Live Crab in Water
Step 1. Buy a bucket with a capacity of 20 liters
Make several holes in the sides and bottom of the bucket. The hole should be large enough for the water to drain, but not big enough for the crabs to come out of it.
- You can also purchase a wooden box specifically designed for storing crabs.
- This method is perfect for those of you who live near waters where blue crabs are caught. If not, use a cooler to store it.
Step 2. Place the wire mesh cover on top
You can buy wire mesh at a hardware store. Take the wire gauze and bend it over the prepared bucket. Clamp the side of the wire mesh (which overlaps the top of the bucket) to the side of the bucket with a stapler.
- The dimensions of the wire mesh must be at least 3 cm larger than the size of the bucket.
- Use a large firing stapler to attach the wire mesh to the bucket.
Step 3. Feed the crabs once or twice a day
If live crabs are placed in water, you must feed them. Adult blue crabs love oysters, live or dead fish, hard shellfish, shrimp, small crabs (including blue crabs), organic crumbs, aquatic plants, and leaves and shoots of sea lettuce, eelgrass, swamp grass, and trench grass.
Step 4. Keep the crabs cool
Keep the blue crab moist and cool in the cooler or bushel basket. The optimal temperature is approx. 10 °C. Blue crab can die if the temperature is lower than that.
Do not put crab in the refrigerator. The temperature in the refrigerator is too cold so that it can make the crab die
Step 5. Let the crabs come to room temperature before you cook them
The cold crab will be in a dormant stage and look dead. Before cooking, allow the blue crab to warm up to room temperature. The crab will move when it reaches room temperature. This allows you to know which crabs are alive and which are dead.
Avoid cooking dead crabs
Method 3 of 3: Creating a Stress Free Environment
Step 1. Limit the shaking
Stress can also make blue crabs die. If the crab is dead, the meat will be soggy and unfit for cooking or eating. Too much shaking can stress the crab. Therefore, do not shake the cooler or bushel basket when storing and transporting blue crab.
Step 2. Keep the crabs in one place
Picking up or moving blue crabs from one storage area to another can also be stressful. Try to put the crabs in one place. If you need to move them to another cooler, don't do it all at once. Transfer the crabs one by one to another cooler.
Step 3. Don't pile the crabs
Crabs can be stressed if the position is piled up. To avoid this, prepare an extra cooler box or bushel basket just in case you don't have enough storage space.
