Can You Freeze Crab Meat – How to Freeze Crab

I live in a land locked area and do not get a lot of opportunity to buy fresh seafood.  In the summer, I can occasionally get some fresh seafood and I like to buy a little extra if I can get it at a good price so that I can freeze it and enjoy it for a couple more months.

Can You Freeze Crab?

Yes, you can freeze whole crab, crab legs, or just the meat.  Since most people prefer to freeze the meat, I have detailed the best way to prep and freeze it.

How to Freeze Crab Meat – 7 Steps of Tips and Techniques

1. To freeze just the meat, you need to start by cleaning the crab.  Work over the sink to avoid getting too messy.
2. Let the water run a little bit so that you can flush out the waste.  Lift the apron of the crab’s belly (the circular shell segment) and pull off the whole top shell.  You should be able to grasp it in the middle near the eyes.  Get rid of the shell.
3. Pull out and throw away the long, white gills and spongy stomach of the crab.  Bend and snap off the claws.  There is not much meat there so you can get rid of those as well.
4. Break the body in half and rinse the halves in water.  Now you are ready to freeze it.
5. You will find a large portion of meat in the thigh area and it is pretty easy to access.  To get the meat out of the legs you can use shears, a nut cracker, or a fork to poke the meat out.
6. Put your crab meat into Ziploc bags in edible portions.  You have to defrost an entire bag at once so you want to make sure you portion it out.  Once the meat is bagged you want to add salted water to the bag; the water should completely cover the crab while still allowing the bag to close.  It is a good idea to use well salted water.  If you do not use enough salt the crab will not have much flavor; if you use too much salt you can give the meat a quick rinse once it is thawed.
7. Seal the bag removing as much air as you can.  Lay the bags flat in the freezer and you will have fresh tasting crab all year long!