How to store and handle fresh swimming crabs? How to tell if frozen swimming crabs have gone bad

Swimming crabs are the most important marine crabs in China, with great economic significance. Similar species include the offshore swimming crabs and red-star swimming crabs in the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Swimming crabs are common economic species in the South China Sea. It is best to buy swimming crabs and eat them immediately. If you want to freeze them in the freezer, it is recommended to put them in the refrigerator while they are alive. Why is this? Mainly because it is seafood. Let's learn more about it!

Contents of this article

1. How to store and handle fresh swimming crabs

2. How to tell if frozen swimming crabs have gone bad

3. How to clean swimming crabs

How to store and handle fresh swimming crabs

If you eat fresh swimming crabs on the same day or the next day, you can soak them in water and take them out when you want to cook them. If you don't eat them on the same day, you can tie them up with a rope, cover them with a wet towel and put them in the refrigerator. When you buy swimming crabs, soak them in clean water with white wine, spit out the dirt and then wash them clean.

Swimming crabs are distributed in Japan, Korea, the Malay Archipelago, the Red Sea and most of the coastal areas of mainland China. The mating season is from April to May to early winter in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea, and from March to April to November to December in the coastal areas of Fujian.

The fishing season for swimming crabs is twice a year, in spring and autumn. The fishing period is long and the yield is high. The crabs are large and meaty, taste delicious and are rich in nutrients, especially the ovaries and liver. The ovaries can be used as a high-quality condiment.

The swimming crab is the most important marine crab in China and has great economic significance. Similar species include the offshore swimming crab and the red star swimming crab in the South China Sea and the East China Sea. It is a common economic species in the South China Sea.

How to tell if frozen swimming crabs have gone bad

You can observe whether the frozen swimming crabs have gone bad by the following ways: first, look at the appearance. If the shell is dark in color and dull, and the frozen juice is black, it means that it is more likely to have gone bad. Second, smell the odor. If the swimming crabs emit a peculiar smell, it means that they have most likely gone bad.

The shelf life of swimming crabs is relatively short. Even if placed in the freezer of the refrigerator, it is best not to exceed 3 days, otherwise it will easily become corrupt and deteriorate.

If there is no obvious abnormality after taking out the frozen swimming crab, but the soup becomes turbid and is accompanied by a smell of corruption during cooking, it means that the swimming crab has deteriorated and it is best to throw it away and not eat it.

It is best to buy and eat swimming crabs immediately. If you want to freeze them in the freezer, it is recommended to put them in the refrigerator while they are alive, because bacteria are easily produced in the body of the crab after it dies, and it will still deteriorate even if frozen.

How to clean swimming crabs

If you want to clean the swimming crab clean, you need to use auxiliary tools, such as a small brush or an old toothbrush, to brush the back, abdomen, mouth, claws, legs and both sides of the body of the swimming crab respectively until there is no mud, impurities, dust and other substances, and then remove the crab gills and excrement, so it is clean.

Before scrubbing the swimming crab, it is recommended to soak it in light salt water for about an hour. During the soaking process, if the water becomes turbid, you can change the water several times until the water becomes clear. In this way, the dirt inside the swimming crab will be spit out almost all.

When scrubbing, focus on the crab's claws and the seams of its six legs to prevent impurities from remaining in them. After scrubbing, rinse with water for a while until the water is completely clear.