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

How to Process Green Crabs Humanely

How to Process Green Crabs Humanely

Many people are concerned about killing a living organism for food such as shellfish more humanely. How do we determine what is humane? Some people may view a quick death as better than a slow drawn out death. Would you slowly freeze a lobster before boiling or steaming it or would you just place a live lobster in a pot of boiling water? For the green crabs it seems that placing them in boiling water will kill them much faster than spearing them with a sharp object through the brain or freezing them. Spearing them may cause you injury and believe me they do not die instantly. Removing the carapace and gills while they are still alive causes them to die nearly as fast as spearing them in the brain. If you believe that freezing them is the most humane way as many seem to think then be sure to freeze them in your home freezer for at least 2 hours before you process or cook them. Of course it all depends on how cold your freezer is. If you are unsure how cold your freezer is then you can start by placing a bag of crabs in your freezer. After 2 hours remove the bag and look inside to check for signs of life =  any hint of movement. If there is none then quickly process or cook the crabs.

One interesting survival instinct of these green crabs (applies to those with hard shells) that I see repeatedly is that they tend to self amputate one or more of their claws and/or legs when they sense stress, threat or danger. Hence, you may notice that when you drop the live green crabs in boiling water they tend to loose part or all their claws and legs. If you freeze them for at least 30 minutes and then drop them in boiling water, their claws and legs tend to remain intact. This indicates the crabs are not stressed and is the most humane way to cook them, and provides you a complete crab for your recipe.

frozen green crab from the freezer

cooked green crab--the most humane way

How to Prepare Hard-Shell Green Crabs

My method of preparing hard-shell green crabs may sound time-consuming but I find that it is a better process to get the most out of my crabs. Part of my process is to clean the crabs by removing mud and sand, even though ingesting a little on occasion is not harmful to most people. The other essential part is the removal of the yellow-orange caviar (roe) and/or crab mustard, if there is any. The crab mustard is the hepatopancreas, a filtering organ found in crabs and lobsters. These innards do sound toxic to ingest and probably are but for some people they are a delicacy.

My process of cleaning the hard-shell crabs is quite similar to preparing the soft-shell ones. The major difference is removing the entire carapace in order to to get to the yellow-orange matter. The hard-shell crabs are much stronger and faster than the soft-shell ones so you need to work a little faster and apply some pressure when removing the carapace. I remove the following parts with my fingers but you can use scissors with pointy tips--carapace (dorsal shell), the gills on each side of the body, the pointy ends of the legs (not necessary if you use are making stock), the V-shaped apron on the abdomen and mouth parts. Scoop out the yellow-orange innards and reserve it in a separate bowl. For me, the best way to remove the most of the innards is to use a pointy flat knife. They are found in the interior of the carapace and on the middle of the body just underneath the carapace. Once these tasks are complete rub a little salt on the prepared crabs, rinse them in cold water, strain and place them in a clean bowl or pot to be used. Save the scooped out roe and crab mustard and keep them refrigerated until ready to be used.

green crabs

lift up with one thumb just under one side of the carapace while
holding onto the belly with the other hand and push
with that thumb (while applying some pressure)
to separate the entire carapace

separating the carapace from its body

carapace and crab body

pull out the mouth parts and discard

pull out the gills on each side of the body and discard

ventral view (belly side)--mouth parts, apron, pointy legs

break off the pointy walking legs and discard

use scissors or a knife to life up the apron, pull it off and discard

remove the roe and crab mustard found on the middle of the body and save

remove the roe and crab mustard from the interior of the carapace and save

prepared crabs with roe and crab mustard

crab roe and crab mustard--rinsed in cold water and strained

Helpful Hints:

*If you are planning on crushing the crabs then you may keep the point legs intact to save time. Removing them makes no difference in your stock.
*In my family we clean the prepared seafood with a salt rub (about 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon) and then rinse with cold water several times to remove the salt. You can also do the same by using vinegar (about 2-3 tablespoons) to wash then rinse with cold water immediately. Do not allow the seafood to soak in the salt or vinegar as it will change their taste and texture.
*When preparing the crabs you may want to wear gloves to prevent injury. I find that wearing 2 layers of the exam gloves to be most helpful when cleaning the crabs. You may purchase these exam gloves at your local pharmacy store.

How to Modify a Crab Trap

When my friend, Captain Ralph MacDonald heard that I have an interest in capturing and eating the invasive green crabs he gave me a brand new crab trap and some fish carcases. Thank you Ralph! After inspecting it I quickly realized the spaces between the wires were too wide allowing these tiny crabs to escape. I expressed my idea of finding a material to make the holes smaller to my husband, so we visited our local Home Depot for steel hardware cloth. This post is a DIY on how to modify a store-purchased crab trap to capture the green crabs. You may have a better idea on how to alter the trap but this is what makes sense to me. When working with the wires be careful not to puncture your skin! I was very cautious but ended up pricking myself, fortunately just once with the tiny wire.

This will be my one and only medical or nursing comment about working with wires and harvesting marine animals--be sure your tetanus vaccine is up-to-date. Please have a conversation with your primary care provider if you are unsure. This is a food blog and I will try to answer only questions regarding green crabs, any crab questions I don't have the answer for I will do my best to find it. I will defer all medical and nursing questions to your primary care provider. If you do not have any please find one.

This trap took me several hours to make but it was also my first attempt at this. The whole process was not at all complicated. I basically cut out the panels and attached them to the exterior sides of my trap. The cutting took the most time because I was using a small wire cutter. I cut 2 1/2 to 3 inch length wire pieces (recycled from the wire that came wrapped around the mesh cloth) to secure the panels together. For the edges along the vertical sides of the pyramid I used a long nose pliers to wrap the new exterior sides to the original sides. I avoided wrapping any parts that were adjacent to the center square panel. All of the triangular panels must be able to move quickly and easily (flatten out when the entire trap is on the seafloor and back into a pyramid shape when pulling up on a string or rope). Any pieces of wire that were cut and sticking out I bent them with a long nose pliers to create a dull edge for safety reasons. I find that adding the new exterior sides on the outside of the original sides and wrap the wires inward is safer than having the pieces inside and wrapping out. If you modify your own trap you can decide what works best for you.

I use a soft mesh bag from a recycled clam bag, purchased at a seafood market, to store my bait and tie it to the center of the trap. I don't like waste so every time I return home I untie my bait bag and place the entire bag inside a plastic bag and store it in the freezer for the next crabbing trip. I use the same bait bag with the same bait. I would refresh it by adding 1-2 small new pieces of fish for each trip. On my first attempt I was able to pull up 101 green crabs in 2 hours. The second attempt I got 80 in an hour. The third time I pulled up a record of 103 crabs in an hour. The fourth time and most recent trip I went with scientist/researcher Dr. Bradt and pulled up 42 crabs in 45 minutes. Most of the crabs were roughly from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches. The last batch I was able to get one that was 3/4 inch, the smallest from my trap.

modified crab trap

drop the trap in the water and secure the lines loosely to the dock

look closely and you will see the crabs crawling towards the bait

green crabs

How to Modify a Crab Trap

Supplies:

1 Eagle Claw Star Crab Trap
1 roll of 1/4 in. x 2 ft. x 5 ft. 23-Gauge Galvanized Steel Hardware Cloth
About 2 feet of wires
1 long nose pliers
1 wire cutter
A yardstick (optional)
A marker (optional)
Magnet (optional)

Instructions:

On a flat surface open up the trap and roll out the steel cloth.

supplies

open  up the trap and roll out the steel cloth

Cut a square panel out of the cloth for the bottom (center piece) of the trap, leaving about 1/4 to 1/2- inch extra (on the cut sides) in order to bend the edges of those sides so the cut (sharp) pieces will not stick out and cause you present and future injury. It is always best to cut slightly larger than what you need and then fold in what you don't need. You may use a yardstick and a marker to mark the area (although you may end up putting some of the marker along the yardstick edge permanently) to guide you if needed. The yardstick is not necessary but it may help guide you.

cut out a square piece (for the bottom of the trap)

fold or bend the cut (sharp) edges with a long nose pliers

the bottom part is cut and the edges are not sharp to the touch

Cut the cloth into triangular shapes, again about 1/4 to 1/2-inch larger around the periphery than the original pieces. This way you can wrap the vertical sides along the original sides. For the top (tip) of the pyramid you do not want to close it up entirely. If you happen to do that (which I did) it is OK since you can always cut it out later. For some of the sides I cut the cloth in a straight line instead of following the angle of the triangle because it is quicker and easier. Wrap the edges of the vertical sides tightly along the original sides using a long nose pliers. Be sure that all the sharp edges are pressed tightly inward to prevent injury.

cut the pieces for the vertical sides
(try not to cover the tip of the opening,
if you do it is not a big deal, you can cut out the holes later)

use a long nose pliers and wrap the sides
of the exterior panel tightly to the original trap

fold or bend the cloth to wrap the interior original trap

Cut 2 1/2 to 3-inch wire pieces (may use the same wire that came already wrapping the cloth). Take a piece of wire and make a U shape and loop from the outside (of the trap) to inside the trap to secure the new exterior sides to the original sides. Take the long nose pliers and twist the wire piece to secure tightly. Bend any sharp edges underneath. Make sure nothing sharp is sticking out where it can cause you injury. Repeat this process on all sides of the trap to secure the panels.

cut the wire into 2 1/2 to 3-inch lengths

make a U shape with the cut wire pieces

loop the U shaped wire from the outside in to secure the 2 panels

use a long nose pliers to twist the wire a few times

the tie should look something like this

bend the sharp tips underneath to prevent any injury

Once all the exterior sides are completely secured to the original trap, look carefully for any sharp areas. Use the long nose pliers and bend any sharp pieces inward so they will not stick out and cause injury. Pick up any loose wire pieces from your work area and after the project is complete, properly discard them in the trash. You may use a magnet to help.

pick up any loose wire pieces and put in a container
may use a magnet to assist with this job

if you happen to cover up the triangular side while working on the trap
(see next photo below)

cut out a hole at the top (tip) of the pyramid trap
 in order to loop a rope or bungee cord through later

now the top (tip) of the pyramid trap has openings
for a rope or bungee cord to loop through

When you use your trap be sure to bring a long nose pliers and wire cutter with you in case you need to secure or fix it. Be sure to wash all of your supplies and trap with fresh water after using to prevent rust.

my typical crabbing supplies: a cooler, a bag with fresh water,
paper or cloth towels, extra bait, knife, scissors, long nose pliers,
wire cutter, small bungee cord, and bandaids

How to Remove the Meat and Roe From a Cooked Crab

Is it worth removing meat from a green crab? According to my father it is equivalent to 'a tiger eating black flies', a direct translation from an old Vietnamese saying. Now you know my father's true opinion about eating green crab meat! All I can say is that if anyone dares to call or label me "lazy" I will have to challenge them to a green crab meat removal contest! Recently Dr. Bradt gave me some large green crabs that came from her university lab. These are the largest that I have seen, ranging from about 2 1/2 to 3 inches across the carapace. There are many ways to remove the meat. This post is a tutorial on how I generally remove meat from any type of crabs.

In order to remove the meat from the crabs the first thing is to clean them well with cold water. Discard any dead crabs. Either boil or steam them whole. Steaming takes a slightly longer time than boiling. Overcooking the crabs will cause the meat, roe and crab mustard to be too dry and less tasty. The crab mustard is the yellow-orange hepatopancreas (filtering organ found in lobsters and crabs). If you do not have time to remove the meat from all of your cooked crabs then once cooled, you may store them in a sealed container overnight in the refrigerator and process them the next day. Use a small knife with a pointy tip to remove the roe and/or crab mustard from the carapace and body. Use either your fingers or a small knife to separate the meat in between the cartilage from the body. I find that a small knife is an excellent tool to get between the cartilage and to scoop out the roe and crab mustard easily and quickly. Use a nut cracker to gently crush the claw to remove the meat. I prefer using a lobster/nut cracker (see my photo below). Save the unused parts for your garden compost if interested.

The freshly picked crab meat, roe and crab mustard may be kept a sealed in a glass or ceramic container in the refrigerator up to 2-3 days or sealed tightly in several plastic wraps and in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.

How to Remove the Meat, Roe and Crab Mustard From a Cooked Crab

1) Boil the crabs in water for about 5-7 minutes. These crabs are small so the cooking time will be short. They will turn red when cooked. Once cooked the meat can be removed easily.
2) Once cooled to handle remove the carapace. Scoop out the roe and crab mustard (the yellow- orange matter) from the carapace if there is any and save. Discard the carapace.
3) Gently pull the apron to remove the intestine and discard.
4) Remove the roe from the body if there is any and save.
5) Use a knife to cut the body into 4 sections. Remove the meat between the cartilage and save. Discard the gills, cartilage, shell bits and any non-edible parts.
6) Use a nut/lobster cracker to gently crack or break the shell of the claw and remove the meat. Discard any shell bits. Remove and discard the cartilage located inside the middle of the claw.
7) At the end look through the meat, remove and discard any shell or cartilage.

remove the carapace (top shell)

separated carapace and body
(the yellow-orange matter is the roe and/or crab mustard)

sweep inside the cave-like areas of the carapace (by the spines)
to remove all of the roe and/or crab mustard and save

remove the apron on the body and pull out the intestine and discard

remove the roe and/or crab mustard from the body and save

cut the body into 4 sections

cut bodies and claws

remove the meat between the cartilage of the body section

use a nut/lobster cracker to crack the shell of the claw

remove the shell

meat from the claw
remove and discard the cartilage located inside the middle of the claw

Is this 'a tiger eating black flies'??

picked cooked crab meat

picked cooked roe and crab mustard