Has anyone experimented or had success with salting/freezing soft shell crab?
To eat or for bait?
To eat, I would not do it, it seems they grow bacteria as soon as they die, the problem would be after they defrost I would think the bacteria would spread before you can cook it.
For bait, may not be so great, I froze some crabs this summer and when I went to use them the meat turned to mush and just kind of melted. I froze them in zipper bags, in water but it didn’t help.
Hopefully someone else has had better luck.
quote:
Originally posted by penfishn around every bend theres the promise of a treasure that can only be caught and seen in a blink.. and in your minds eye..and sometimes if youre lucky..in a picture..its there for just a minute...then gone..but hopefully once youve seen it it will remain in your heart forever. Theres nothing like the "Smell" and sounds of the creek. Its not just one thing that makes it familiar..its all of it.
Bought some one time that were salted and frozen in a vacuum sealed bag. Still had a hard time keeping them on the hook. Kind of fell apart.
18’ Hewes Bayfisher/115 4 Stroke Yamaha/6’Powerpole, etc
Soft crabs, for food, are frozen every season with no problem. The hundreds of dozens I have purchased were never vac-sealed. They are typically just wrapped in cellophane and frozen. Thawed they are perfect quality…not fresh of course, but just what you want in year-round soft crabs. And to add, they are perfectly safe. Frozen soft crabs should have met the big chill immediately after death & cleaning.
I’ve never had a salted crab so I can’t comment. Is it typical for you guys to corn your soft crabs?
clean um and freeze um good for long time
15’ hightide 40 evinrude
Mmmhmmmm…any of you who have any and are afraid to eat them bring them to me:wink: I don’t freeze them because I eat every one that I get from my daddy as soon as I get them. 
miss’n fish’n
212 SEAHUNT CC
Sea Squirt 16
I was referring to preserving them for bait. I use them in NJ for striped bass, kingfish, black drum, weakfish and flounder. I will salt clam and freeze it for striped bass, it firms up nice after salting. I also read on here to just freeze the clam right in the shell, I will try that this year. I’ll try freezing some ss too, thanks for all replies.
Wrap them in wax paper and place in the real small snack zip lock bags(half the size of sandwich ones) I freeze clams in the shells…and I have frozen jelly balls too. The thickest part and the pink skirt. For this I place in a cheep last ic container or a plastic coffee container will work too…for al of the above.
miss’n fish’n
212 SEAHUNT CC
Sea Squirt 16