How to Freeze King Crabs
- 1). Place a live crab in a large pot of boiling water on the stove with enough water to cover the crab. Since king crabs are so big you will probably only be able to fit one in the pot at a time. Boil for about 25 to 30 minutes.
- 2). Remove the crab from the boiling water and place in a pot of cold water for several minutes. Remove the crab and drain on an absorbent towel.
- 3). Grab the top shell body from the back and pull up towards the front to remove it completely. Rinse the inside of the crab under cold water. Remove organs from the body including the gills and the stomach. Remove any jelly-like substance you see, which is newly forming shell. Pull off the flap on the underside of the crab, and remove the mouth parts.
- 4). Grab the crab with two hands under the body and break it in half under running water. At this point you can choose to keep the body meat inside the the two shell halves and freeze, or remove it and freeze. WQith a king crab, you will likely need to remove the legs and freeze them separate in order for it to fit in a freezer bag or wrap. Pull the crab legs from the body at the connecting joints. If you choose, crack the legs and the claw with a mallet or crab cracker and remove all of the meat.
- 5). To freeze king crab with the meat inside the shell and legs, cut off the tips of the legs to avoid the pointed ends from cutting through the freezer bags. Place one or two legs each in a jumbo, 2-gallon freezer bag. Store the two shell halves in one jumbo gallon bag. Try to remove as much air as possible. King crabs have a thorny body so you should double bag them in case the bag gets punctured. If the king crab legs are just to big to store in freezer bags, wrap in several layers of freezer paper and then place in a large plastic bag.
- 6). To freeze just the crab meat, wrap the crab meat tightly in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped crab meat in a large freezer bag, removing as much air as possible. If you can, use vacuum sealer to suck out the air. Crabs can last in the freezer for about four to six months.
