How Long Can I Store Live Crabs And What Is The Best Storage Method?
A. Live crabs will remain alive for approximately 6-8 hours if: 1. The crabs purchased were refrigerated and are kept refrigerated at home. Perishability will be high if the crabs are not refrigerated. 2. They were not refrigerated when purchased (i.e. if they were purchased off a truck or you caught them yourself) and you can either refrigerate them or keep them outdoors in a shaded, cool, airy container such as a crab bushel basket. In either case, some will die and some will live a lot longer than 8 hours. Before steaming the crabs, you may “chill” them in the refrigerator; the cold temperature renders them inactive and easier to put in the steamer. This also helps to keep the legs and claws on during cooking. If you have ever tried to put room temperature crabs in a pot, you know how active they can be.
