How To Safely Thaw and Prepare Frozen Crab

Give Them Ample Time To Thaw

No matter how you choose to serve up your delicious frozen crab, you’re going to need to thaw them, one way or another. The good news is that thawing crab claws is usually pretty simple. If you’re going for the freshest taste and texture, a good rule of thumb is to let the claws defrost in your fridge for 48 hours. Of course, if you’re looking for quicker methods, you can always run the claws under cold water or pop them in the microwave. Just be aware that the more time you put into thawing the crab, the better your meal will taste.

Prep and Cook Carefully

After your claws are thawed to your liking, it’s time to prepare these delectable crustaceans. The prep work you have to do for your crabs will mainly depend on how you plan to cook and eat them later on. To illustrate, perhaps you’re planning to have chilled crab with an assortment of dipping sauces and raw veggies. In this case, if your claws are frozen but thoroughly cooked, you might want to let them defrost in the fridge until they’re tender enough to throw on ice and eat.

Just as well, if your claws are frozen but raw, it’s prudent to steam them very gently once they’re entirely defrosted. Doing this will ensure they’re cooked and safe to eat by the time you start serving.

Of course, you also have other cooking options, such as sautéing or even roasting. If one of these is the direction you choose to go in, remember to gently heat the claws and ensure they’re cooked all the way through before you serve them.

Enjoy Your Meal with the Proper Utensils

It should come as no surprise that crab isn’t always the easiest to deshell. After all, each part of its body is essentially encased in armor. So popping them open and eating them can prove quite the task. For this reason, having the proper utensils to break through the shell is just as crucial as thawing and preparing the claws to be eaten. Most people who eat crab will, at the very least, have a few crab forks lying around. These forks are specially designed to easily rip through crab legs and claws without posing a risk to the diner in the process. Of course, if you want to be extra fancy, you can also buy whole lobster and crab utensil kits that make crustaceous meals a cinch.

Hopefully, this quick overview has provided you with some new information on how to safely thaw and prepare frozen crab. And remember, when you’re ready to start cooking, Patas has a great selection of frozen stone crab claws for sale that everyone at your dinner table is sure to enjoy!