Dried Green Crabs

The idea of drying green crabs has been an interest of mine since I started crabbing. I wanted to store the crabs at room temperature instead of freezing for longer shelf life, and not have to rely on electricity or a freezer. The dried crabs can be simmered in water to make a nice broth or sauce. From a recent experiment, I learned that crushing frozen prepared green crabs is less messy. It is best to crush the crabs well. The smaller the bits the faster they will dry. It is very important the crab bits are completely dried to prevent mold growth. After 4 hours at 200 degrees F if your crab bits are not completely dry then bake longer at 200 degrees F. When you are ready to use crush them a little more to extract as much flavor as possible out of them.

Please view How to Prepare Hard-Shell Green Crabs post to process these crabs prior to drying. It is not necessary to remove the roe or the distal pointy legs. The roe will add extra flavor for your broth or stock.

dried green crabs

Dried Green Crabs

Ingredients:

Green crabs, prepared (fresh or frozen), crushed

Method:

Crush the prepared green crabs, spread the crab bits on a cookie pan thinly. Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes, then 200 degrees F for 4 hours or until dried. Once cooled store in a glass jar or an airtight container.