Crab is a delicious aquatic product, its meat is tender, and the crab roe and crab paste are fragrant, which is deeply loved by people. However, crabs are also very vigorous animals, and they have high requirements for environmental factors such as temperature, water quality, and oxygen. If we want to save live crabs, can we put them in frozen? Will this affect the activity and taste of the crab?
The crab is an arthropod that belongs to the class Crustacea and has ten legs, one of which develops into pincers for prey and defense. The body of the crab is divided into cephalothorax and abdomen, and the cephalothorax has a hard shell called a carapace, which is used to protect the internal organs and muscles. The abdomen is soft, usually rolled under the carapace, and has a pair of *** and a pair of respirators, called chelicerae and gill limbs, respectively.
Crabs are cold-blooded animals and their body temperature changes with the temperature of their environment. Generally speaking, the suitable living temperature of crabs is between 15-30, and if the temperature is too high or too low, it will affect the metabolism and growth and development of crabs. Crabs are also aquatic animals that need oxygen from the water to breathe, and if there is not enough oxygen in the water, or if the water is polluted, the crab can suffocate or be poisoned. Crabs are also carnivores, they like to eat some decaying organic matter, such as dead fish, shrimp, snails, etc., these foods may contain some bacteria or parasites that will increase the pathogenic bacteria in the crab's body.
There are two ways to freeze crabs, one is to put the live crab directly into the freezer compartment of the refrigerator, and the other is to cook the crab before freezing. There are pros and cons to both methods, so let's take a closer look.
Freeze live crab directly: The advantage of this method is that it is possible to keep the crab alive, and the crab still has signs of life after freezing, but it has entered a dormant state, and it can resume its activity after thawing. The disadvantage of this method is that it will damage the cellular structure of the crab, causing the meat of the crab to become dry, loose and tasteless, affecting the taste and quality. Moreover, this method has high requirements for the temperature of the refrigerator, which must be lower than -18, otherwise the crab will die, produce toxins, and be unfit for consumption.
Freeze the crab after cooking: The advantage of this method is that it kills bacteria and parasites in the crab's body, reduces the risk of food poisoning, and it preserves the meat quality and taste of the crab without becoming dry and tasteless. The disadvantage of this method is that it loses the activity of the crab, and the frozen crab is already dead, and it cannot resume its activity after thawing, and can only be eaten as cooked food.