Crabs and Food Poisoning

by Kim S
(Kent ,WA)

I have caught some dungeness crab and a friend cleaned them and then froze them in my freezer without cooking them. I have 2 other friends that say it will be dangerous to eat them now because they HAVE to be cooked right away or I could get food poisoning!!!!Is this true???

If you cleaned the crabs before the crab legs were frozen, then packaged them properly for freezing, then...No. You should be able to thaw them out a bit and go ahead and boil them up and enjoy with no scare of food poisoning.
Food poisoning from crabs come from letting them die before cooking them or cleaning them. When crabs are kept alive they are able to ward off any bacteria or poisonings that would threaten to permeate their bodies. When they are dead, any bacterias and poisonings have no fight against them and can freely permeate the crab meat.
Since you cleaned the crabs first, then froze them and packaged them properly (freezer bags and vacuumed packed or the like) then you can steam up your great crab catch and enjoy them without doubt!