Blue crab shells

[nanat]

I was wondering if anyone out there knows if you can clean, boil, and preserve a blue crab shell? I want to have them to service stuffed crab in.

[PattY1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nanat I was wondering if anyone out there knows if you can clean, boil, and preserve a blue crab shell? I want to have them to service stuffed crab in.

I used to just wash them well using a small brush to scrub them then rinse well and dry completely. They won't last forever. But you might get a few uses out of them. I used to use them to serve deviled crab.

[BreezyCooking]

Ditto to Patty1. I've used & reused Blue Claw Crab shells for many years - way back to the 60's thru the 90's when I used to fish for them myself.

Just clean them out gently like you would any delicate serviceware, allow them to air-dry extremely well, & store them layered with paper towels in a clean, dry area.

As stated, you can get several uses out of them.

[PattY1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BreezyCooking Ditto to Patty1. I've used & reused Blue Claw Crab shells for many years - way back to the 60's thru the 90's when I used to fish for them myself. Just clean them out gently like you would any delicate serviceware, allow them to air-dry extremely well, & store them layered with paper towels in a clean, dry area. As stated, you can get several uses out of them.

I think the reason I only got a few uses out of them is because I would stuff them with Deviled Crab and top with buttered bread crumbs and heat under the broiler. I think the broiler was hard on them.

[BreezyCooking]

Yeah - high temps are hard on them. I really only get a couple of uses out of them before I toss them. Luckily, we really like hard-shell crabs & so I can replace them fairly easily. :)

[nanat]

Thanks for all the info. I cleaned them all really well and then I put them in the freezer! I didn't know if I should keep them out or not. I know I've bought deviled crabs at the seafood markets before and they are frozen in the shell, so maybe I'll get some use out of the. We love crab and usually eat them when the moon is full. The blue crabs get huge and very full of meat here on the gulf coast. Hubby went to buy a dozen them and they were so big he ended up getting 21 lbs! We ate what we wanted and then shelled the rest and ended up with 3 lbs of meat! I vaccum packed it in 1 cup portions and I'll have crab to use for a while! I like to stuff flounder with the crab meat too. We fish a lot and always have flounder in the freezer.

[BreezyCooking]

That'll work. If I were you though, I'd bring them to room temp before use, as going directly from the freezer to a hot oven might make them more brittle than they already are.

[KatieFrank]

Wow- that was helpful!