How to Compost Green Crabs

How to Compost Green Crabs

Every time I hear someone compost perfectly edible items I cringe because I don't like to see, hear, or read about wasted food. I believe in consuming what you can first and only compost what is inedible after. This same concept goes for the invasive green crabs. Just like anything, there are many different methods to compost matters but this short post is about how I compost green crabs. After returning home from the dock with a bucket of crabs I would spend some time preparing them by removing the carapace, apron, gills, and mouthparts to discard. Please check out How to Prepare Hard-Shell Green Crabs post for further details and tutorials. I save the bodies and roe separately for cooking. The discarded parts would be boiled for about 5 minutes, just long enough to cook them. The reason I devote in this extra 5-minute step is to decrease the stench of decaying shellfish and to prevent attracting animals and insects to my outdoor compost container. I would empty the cooked discarded parts and liquid in my home-made recycled compost receptacle--made from an old wooden cabinet minus the back and a door. It lies open to the ground and the top covers with a wire mesh nailed to a wooden frame heavy enough to prevent it from blowing away or having it knocked over by most animals. I say most because we do have an occasional bear visiting in the area (New Hampshire). One of our neighbors is known to have frequent conversations with bears! My husband saw a black bear recently while driving so they are definitely around!

Do add a little soil to the container for the worms to be happy. These worms are usually well fed and large, great for fishing bait! And about once or twice a month turn the organic material inside in order for the items to break down more evenly.

discarded inedible crab parts

boiling discarded crab parts

DIY compost bin

Sauteed Cabbage, Tomato and Stinging Nettle

I normally make this dish with just cabbage, tomato, meat, and water or chicken stock. This time I added a large handful of stinging nettles that I harvested for extra nutrients, texture, and color. Use however many tomatoes you prefer. I love fresh tomatoes so I used 3 medium-sized ones. You may use ground or thin slices of meat such as pork, turkey, or chicken for this dish. You may use either stock from dried crabs or fresh crabs.

Be sure to harvest stinging nettle with gloves and proper harvesting clothing (i.e., pants, socks, closed shoes, long-sleeved shirt, and etc.) as they do sting! Please eat only wild plants that you can positively identify. If you have any health problems or are taking any medicines (prescription, over-the-counter or herbal supplement) please consult with your health care providers before eating any wild edible plants.

Here are a few links on stinging nettle.

Stinging Nettle: Uses and Risks - WebMD
Nettle - Drugs.com
Stinging nettle - Penn State Hershey    

sauteed cabbage, tomato and stinging nettle

Sauteed Cabbage, Tomato, and Stinging Nettle

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp oil
4 oz ground pork
2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped or minced
1/2 medium-sized cabbage, roughly chopped or sliced into bite-size, washed and drained
1 recipe of the Basic Rehydrated Green Crab Stock (see recipe below)
A large handful of stinging nettle tips, washed well and drained
2-3 tomatoes, cut into 6-8 pieces
2 beef bullion cubes
Fish sauce

Method:

Saute pork in oil until just cooked. Add garlic and saute until the garlic is soft. Add cabbage and green crab broth, cook until the cabbage is wilted. Add stinging nettles and tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the stinging nettles are wilted. Season with beef bullion cubes and fish sauce. Serve with rice.

Basic Rehydrated Green Crab Stock

Ingredients:

1 cups of water
1/8 cup dried crushed green crabs

Method:

Heat these two ingredients until the water comes to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and discard the shells.