How many days can live crabs be kept

Although the weather is dry in autumn, there is one delicacy that you must not miss, and that is crab. After growing in the summer, crabs in autumn have become fat and strong, and are the best time for people to eat them. Crabs are a cool food in nature. Eating more crabs in autumn can help promote digestion and reduce internal heat. However, if you buy a lot of crabs at home and cannot eat them all at once, the live crabs can be preserved for a few days.

Method 1 for preserving hairy crabs

Choose vigorous hairy crabs, prepare a 30-50 cm high plastic bucket/basin, put the hairy crabs in it without stacking; then add water to half the height of the hairy crab's body, mainly to keep it moist, and do not bury the hairy crab completely. Because you are unlikely to have oxygenation equipment, if the water is too deep, the crabs will suffocate and die due to lack of oxygen. The bucket/basin does not need to be covered. Check the hairy crabs every day and eat the hairy crabs that are not energetic enough in time. If this method is used to preserve hairy crabs, the hairy crabs can be preserved for more than 5 days when the temperature is not high.

Method 2 for preserving hairy crabs

Use the refrigerator to store hairy crabs. If you buy a small number of hairy crabs and can eat them within about three days, the storage is relatively simple: select hairy crabs with vigorous energy, tie up the legs of the hairy crabs to reduce the physical consumption of the hairy crabs, and then place them in the refrigerator's freezer, keep the temperature at 5 degrees to 10 degrees, and cover with a wet towel for storage. When eating every day, choose the crabs that are less energetic and eat them first, and the crabs that are full of energy can continue to be preserved. The way to distinguish them is to touch the crab's eyes gently with your hand, and if it does not react quickly, eat it first.

Method 3 for preserving hairy crabs

If you buy more hairy crabs than you can eat in three to five days, the best way to preserve them is to use your own bathtub as a temporary pond for the hairy crabs to enjoy: because the walls of the bathtub are smooth, the hairy crabs cannot escape. Then gently pour the hairy crabs into the bathtub, fill it with water to just cover the hairy crabs, so that the hairy crabs can stand up on their eight legs and breathe on the water surface. Add a small amount of small fish and shrimp depending on the storage time and quantity. Hairy crabs can generally be stored in this way for more than 7 days or longer, and the storage survival rate of good quality hairy crabs can reach over 95%. In addition, check the hairy crabs every day and eat those that are not energetic enough in time.

It is best to put the live hairy crabs directly into the refrigerator (note: not frozen) after tying them up (this will ensure the firmness of the hairy crab meat), control the temperature at around 5 degrees Celsius, and cover them with a wrung-out wet towel. Remember: If you are not eating it right away, please do not wash it with water, otherwise the crab will die. If the indoor temperature does not exceed 15 degrees, there is no need to put it in the refrigerator. Under normal circumstances, it can be stored for 5-7 days, but the crab will become thinner if stored too long. The taste will not be affected if eaten within 3 days.