Leftover Crab Legs

I have leftover frozen crab legs from a month ago. Are there any recipes for making soup with the frozen leftover legs? Thanks.

We're so glad you asked! Yes! We have quite a few Crab Soup Recipes for you to try with your leftover crab legs! Soup is a perfect way to use up those leftovers. Stay in touch as we add more for the upcoming winter season.

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Crab stored

by Brent

I bought 4 whole crab in Oregon on and brought them back to Idaho (on Ice) how long can they be stored on ice? And they have not been cleaned, is that a problem?

As long as they were cooked (and I would have to beleive they were if you bought them at a store), one can keep crab "on ice" or better yet in the freezer for 6 months or more even if they're not cleaned. At our house, we get two months of good crabbing season BUT we cook 'em and freeze 'em and enjoy crab for the whole year!

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More Crab

by Nymphalice
(Wasilla Alaska)

How long can you leave crab out without it going bad?

That all depends on how you're leaving them. to explain: let's look at live crab first. Live crab can be left for days provided their water is constantly aerated so they don't die from lack of oxygen.
Raw crab: If cleaned live, raw crab can be kept on ice for quite some time. If frozen, it can be kept for weeks. If vacuum sealed and frozen it can be kept for months. (We just had some Dungeness crab we vacuumed sealed/froze 4 months ago....DELICIOUS!)
Cooked crab: Can be kept in the refrigerator for several days; in the freezer for several weeks/months; vacuum sealed and frozen.....we have had crab up to 11 months after catching, cleaning and cooking before eating!
Most important is to remember to treat your crab as you would ANY food. Refrigerate or freeze it ASAP. Don't leave it out in room temperature setting for long. Properly clean and cook it. If it smells "funny"...get rid of it! Always err on the side of caution! Better safe than sorry!Enjoy!

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crab "storage"

by Steve
(Washington State)

I caught 15 dungeness crab, took them home and immediately cook, cleaned, and put on ice. I have them in an ice chest with ice on top and below with newpapers covering the top of the ice/crab mix. Should they be okay to server 5 days later?

Provided you maintain ice on them, keep the melted ice water off of them....yes! they should be fine. Would be better in a freezer but.... keep the ice coming and the water draining and you should be ENJOY!-ing a fantastic culinary delight! ENJOY!

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How long do they stay good?

by Sharo Sigler
(Baton Rouge, La.)

How long after you boil crabs are they good for?

Properly packaged (we use a vaccuum sealer), we have enjoyed crab from the freezer for up to year after boiling! After that it's ALL been eaten so don't know how much longer for sure it will keep! ENJOY!

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Leftover Crab Legs

by Elimu
(NJ)

Is it safe to eat cooked crab legs that were left out over night?

If you are relating to them as "left out overnight" as outside of being refrigerated, the answer is, "No!" Crab legs as well as any kind of seafood dishes must be refrigerated overnight if you want to safely consume them the next day.

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Fresh Crab Storage

How long can I keep freshly caught crabs in fridge before I steam them ??

Fresh (live) crab can not be stored in the fridge. They must be kept alive in aerated water until cleaning and cooking. Putting them the fridge (or freezer) before cleaning them will cause them to die and dead crab is BAD crab. If you can't or are not planning on cooking them right away, you clean them "live" and store them for later. I recommend vacuum sealing them and they will keep for months. However, if they have died you have to throw them out. Better safe than sorry (or worse yet, sick)

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How to store leftover crab legs?

by pamela
(Amarillo)

We just had boiled King Crab Legs for dinner. We have a few legs uneaten. How do we store them in the fridge as leftovers to eat later? Do you store them in water or just Tupperware or Ziploc bag? What do you put them in?

You can store leftover King Crab legs in either, Ziploc bag or a covered container.

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Don't Throw That Crab Away!!

by Jazmine
(New Orleans, LA)

Hello!

Why do companies only sell Alaskan King Crab "Legs" instead of selling the entire crab? Is there meat in the main body of the crab? What happens to that portion of the crab?

I want it all...

Thanks,
Jazmine


Hi Jazmine! I can relate! All the main meat of Alaskan King Crab is in the legs. They aren't like Blue Crab that can be eaten whole in their soft shell forms. And their legs are huge. I saw one at my local market just a few weeks ago that was as big around as my wrist!
To be honest with you, I've never "cleaned" an Alaskan King Crab, but Dungeness. With that said, I would suspect that they would have a huge amount of meat in their thigh area, like the Dungeness Crab do. However, Alaskan King Crab is so popular and with such a high demand world-wide, I also suspect that the thigh area is packaged and used/sold separately. You can find "tubs" of Alaskan King Crab in seafood areas in most major local grocery stores.
With all this said, there isn't anything left after the leg and thigh areas.
And last, but not least, to answer your question about them selling the King Crab whole...as you probably know, the Alaskan King Crab fished commercially from many miles out in the Alaskan seas. By the time they get to the ports/land they really need to be weighed and boiled to maintain their freshness. If they are dead, they have to be thrown out...total loss.
Again, King Crab are huge! I can't imagine boiling them whole and packaged for resale whole. They would take up unnecessary space in any freezer. I do understand your desire to have a whole one! Would be quite interesting to clean one myself! And, no, there isn't meat in the main body of the crabs. Just thighs and legs...MMmmm!

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