Can crab meat be frozen?

Crab is known as one of the most popular and versatile seafood ingredients you can keep on hand. There are many dishes that you can cook with it.

From appetizers to entrees and even appetizers, crab meat is soft, sweet, and succulent. It makes sense for seafood lovers to always have some crab meat on hand. This brings us to the question:

Can crab meat be frozen?

Yes, you can freeze crab meat for up to 3 months if you pre-cook it. Actually, freezing crab meat is highly recommended, otherwise it goes bad quickly. However, freezing crab meat will alter its texture.

While it’s undeniable that freezing is the best way to prevent crabmeat from spoiling, there are a few things to keep in mind. After all, freezing crab meat isn’t as simple as popping it straight into the freezer.

There are proper procedures that you must follow to ensure the best possible results. This is exactly what we will delve into with this freezing guide.

Why should you freeze crab meat?

Crab meat is incredibly prone to spoilage. This is especially true if you leave it out at room temperature. Doing so isn’t so much a recipe for tasty crab cakes as it is a perfect recipe for disaster.

Of course, your fridge is also a viable option for storing your crabs. If you have crab meat left over and plan to eat it in the next few days, your fridge should be up to the task.

Remember that cooked crab meat usually lasts up to 5 days in the fridge.

If you want to preserve the freshness of your favorite seafood for months, the best option is to freeze it.

Although the actual period may vary, properly frozen crabs have been known to last at least 3 months in the freezer.

However, keep in mind that you should never refreeze crab meat once it has been thawed.

Should you freeze live crabs?

Now, while the answer may seem obvious, we must first address this question: should you freeze live crabs?

After all, some cooks believe that crabs are better cooked alive than dead just before boiling or steaming. So, at first glance, the idea of freezing live crabs to ensure freshness might make sense.

However, nothing is further from reality. So, as a general rule: you should never freeze live crabs. Do not under any circumstances attempt to do so, unless you plan to intoxicate yourself.

This is because while the crab may be alive when it goes into your freezer, we guarantee that it won’t be when it comes out again.

Although crabs have been known to survive cold temperatures in their natural habitats, the conditions in your freezer are entirely different.

The lack of oxygen, together with the freezing temperatures that rapidly freeze the moisture in the gills of the crab, end up suffocating it.

Now, if you’ve eaten crabs before, then you know the most important rule: never cook a crab that has been dead for more than 10-15 minutes. This is a well-known fact that we must reiterate.

This is because it poses a great health hazard. You should know that the quality of crab meat deteriorates rapidly soon after the crab dies.

Keep in mind that unwanted bacterial growth will inevitably start after the crab is dead. After all, it is the natural process of decomposition.

As this occurs, any undigested food inside the crab will also begin to rot, further contaminating the meat. Overall, you’ll have more bacterial growth and faster meat spoilage.

Simply put, the crab will continue to rot, despite being in the freezer.

Freeze cooked crab

With that cleared up, it’s time we got into the proper ways to freeze crab meat. The cooked crab, to be more specific. In fact, you can even freeze crab cakes .

As the previous section has made very clear, we cannot overstate the importance of doing this task properly and never freezing raw or live crab.

As with any other type of meat, freezing helps preserve the freshness of the cooked crab. However, it must be made clear that it is not without its consequences. If you’re not careful, you risk spoiling the flavors of the crab.

With that said, there are two ways to approach freezing cooked crab. The first method is to freeze it whole, including the shell. The second method will show you how to properly freeze crab meat that is no longer in its shell.

If you want to have fresh crabmeat whenever you need it, but decide in the end that freezing is not your thing, we recommend that you take a look at our article on the best canned crabmeat to have it ready in no time. .

Method 1: Freeze whole crabs

The first method requires cooking the crabs before freezing them whole. This method is perhaps the simplest and most direct way to approach this task. If done correctly, cooked crab meat can last up to 6 months.

In addition to saving you the effort of having to separate the crab before freezing it, keeping the crab meat in its shell helps preserve some of the sweet flavors of the meat. It also helps its texture remain intact.

After all, the shell of the crab serves as a protective cover for its soft interior. For our purposes, it will help hinder the natural breakdown of the meat over time.

The difference between the longevity of shell-less crabmeat and exposed crabmeat becomes incredibly apparent when you put it in the fridge. The first can last 5 days, while the second usually does not last more than 12 hours.

Be sure to follow these steps when you’re freezing whole crabs:

1. Cook the crab - The first thing you have to do is cook the crab as if you plan to eat it that day. Steam or boil the crab for 10-20 minutes, as this will give you enough time to kill any lingering bacteria inside the crab.
2. Submerge the crab in ice water - Make sure to fully submerge it to completely stop the cooking process.
3. Wrap the crab individually - Take kitchen paper and carefully wrap the crab. This step is crucial, as it prevents the pointy ends of the shell from puncturing the bag.
4. Vacuum seal or put in sealable bags - If you can vacuum seal the crab, it is the most effective option. If not, take a freezer-safe sealable bag, place the wrapped crab inside, and squeeze out any excess air before sealing.
5. Label the bag - You have to make sure that the bag of the crab is properly labelled. You must write the date of freezing in clear letters and in bold. This way, you’ll never lose track of when you first frozen your crabs.

If done correctly, crab meat will keep fresh for up to six months. This will give you enough time to know when you plan to use them.

The best way to ensure the freshness of your crabs is to use a vacuum sealer, and if you don’t already have one, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to preserve all your favorite foods for longer.

Method 2: Freeze the crab meat without the shell

The second method is perfect if the crab meat has already been removed from the shell. If so, freezing it whole is no longer an option. As you may have guessed, this method is often used for leftover cooked crab meat.

Naturally, this poses its own challenges. Specifically, it means that time is playing against you. After all, as we’ve already said, crab meat deteriorates much faster without its protective shell.

So you will have to hurry up and work as fast as you can, but the process itself is very easy.

As a rule, the freshness of the crab is of the utmost importance. It is the factor that will take precedence over everything else. It will inevitably affect the subsequent flavor profile of the crab meat, not to mention its longevity and shelf life.

If you are working with leftover crab meat that has been sitting in the fridge for a day or so, we recommend skipping this method altogether.

However, if you are working with freshly cooked crab meat, you should follow these steps:

1. Prepare a freezer-safe bag or vacuum-seal bag.
2. Wrap the crab meat tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to better protect it from freezer burn.
3. Introduce the crab meat, expel the air -or use a vacuum sealer- and close the bag.
4. Label the bag. Make sure the freeze date is clearly marked and visible.

By following these instructions to the letter, your crab meat can last at least 3 months.

Keep in mind that crab meat stored in this way works best as a side ingredient in soups and sauces, rather than as the main dish.

Does freezing crab meat affect its quality?

It must be said here that freezing will always have an adverse effect on crab meat. Crab meat can lose a significant portion of its flavor in the freezer, and the texture can become stringy.

These effects will only get worse if you don’t follow the steps we’ve listed above.

For example, if you haven’t packed your crab in freezer-safe bags, chances are it’s almost out of moisture.

This is because the air in the freezer is actually very dry. Even if the taste itself is not affected, it will certainly negatively impact the entire dining experience.

It should also be noted that if properly frozen, the detrimental effects of freezing will be minimal and inconsequential.

That is why we must reiterate that you follow the instructions presented above to the letter to avoid any problem during freezing.

How long does crab last in the freezer?

The answer to this question is not as simple as one might expect. After all, actual results may vary based on various factors.

These include the quality of the crabs, the state of the meat before freezing, your climate, fluctuations in your freezer temperature, etc.

However, the most common interval has been established around 3-6 months. This is assuming you have followed the instructions and followed the procedure correctly.

Related questions

What is the proper way to defrost crab meat?

Since we have extensively covered the topic of freezing in this guide, we now need to take a look at the inevitable step that comes next: thawing.

As with freezing, you’ll need to make sure you thaw the crab meat properly. Failing to do so means wasting your previous efforts.

The most important aspect of thawing crab meat is the gradual increase in temperature. By that definition alone, you should know by now that the microwave is not an option right now. There are two ways to approach this.

First of all, you can make full use of your refrigerator. This method is a bit slower and requires some foresight, but it’s also much easier than the other.

All you have to do is take the frozen crab meat and leave it in the fridge overnight.

You can also put the bag of frozen crabmeat in cold water for at least two hours before using it. You may need to change the water every 30 minutes or so to ensure the meat thaws properly.

If you have frozen crab cakes and thawed them, we have another article on how to reheat crab cakes waiting for you.

How long does crab meat last in the fridge?

As we have said before, refrigeration is a viable option if you plan to consume the crab meat in the next few days.

If it is fresh crab meat, it can last up to 5 days in the refrigerator. However, in general, most people choose to eat meat earlier, just as a precaution.

Here’s our complete guide to freezing crab meat. Be sure to follow the instructions to the letter the next time you have fresh crabs on hand.