If you’re wondering if you can eat dead crab when you’re out surviving in the wild, the answer is, “You really shouldn’t!” Crab is best eaten and killed fresh. Dead crab can give you a whole lot of health issues that can potentially even be fatal! If you happen to find a dead crab, it’s best to leave it for the surrounding animals and bacteria. Wildlife can eat dead crabs because they have evolved to handle rotten food, whereas humans simply cannot. Crabs should be kept alive until the moment you are ready to eat them (that’s why foods like lobster are kept alive in fish tanks at restaurants and grocery stores!
Table of Contents
Why Is It Not Okay To Eat Dead Crabs?
There are a couple of reasons why you definitely do not want to eat dead crabs.
- They taste much better when they are fresh (alive)
- They will cause you food poising if eaten when dead!
After a crab is dead, its body will attract a huge amount of bad bacteria which will cause it to decompose, taste horrible, and make you sick all at once. This phenomenon is referred to as shellfish poisoning! The buildup of bacteria can begin within as little as 30 minutes after the death of the crab. If you found a dead crab just lying there on the beach, it’s probably been lying there much longer than 30 minutes! If the crab died out of the sun in a cool dark place, it may be less infected, but it will still not be safe to eat so you should not consider doing so!
The meat can also get really bad for both taste and texture from all the decomposition! Have you ever accidentally bitten into something that has gone bad, or smelled it? That’s your body telling you not to eat it! If you wait for more than 10-15 minutes the bacteria can start this process in the worst-case scenario. If you do need to kill a crab before you eat it, or it dies accidentally, keeps it in a cool dark place, it will probably be ok for 24-48 hours, but it may be better to throw it away. If it doesn’t make you sick, the taste and texture will still definitely be off so the experience of eating will probably be awful.
What Is Shellfish Poisoning?
Crabs, shrimp, clams, oysters, and other shellfish are all known to make people sick with this phenomenon and they should be avoided if found dead! You will often notice a putrid smell before even tasting the meat, this is a surefire way to tell if you should avoid the meat. Shellfish poisoning can occur 4-48 hours after the death of the shellfish. Which is a scary thing to think about.
Symptoms:
- Nausea
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal Pain
- Cramps
What Should I Do If I Get Shellfish Poisoning?
If you do get shellfish poisoning, you will not be in for a fun time. You shouldn’t do anything to induce vomiting, drink as much water as you can stomach, and lay down to rest near an easily accessible bathroom. If you’re not able to keep anything down, or have a bloody stool, immediately call 911.
Which Parts Of The Crab Are Poisonous?
Crabs are not poisonous! As long as they are killed fresh, they are perfectly fine to eat, and you can even eat them raw if you want! Although, we think they taste better when they are cooked, to each their own! If you do eat crabs, you should mainly stick to the meat of the shellfish as the other parts of it are generally not known to taste that well.
Can You Under Cook Crab?
Technically no, since crabs can be eaten raw. Undercooking them won’t make you any more or less sick. However, if you undercook crabs, they probably won’t taste as well as properly cooked shellfish.
How Do You Tell If A Crab Is Still Alive?
If you do find a crab hanging out on a beach, first check to make sure it’s still alive!
- Splash water on it
- Flip it over with a stick
- Pull a leg off
- Touch an eye
If the crab moves at all during any of the above-listed methods then it is alive! If there is no movement, stay away from it!
Eating Crabs For Survival
If you’ve seen the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks, you will see him learn to catch and survive off fish and shellfish he finds on the island! Both of these sources of food are great for survival since they can be eaten raw and do not need to be cooked. Although, you can definitely see his disappointment upon having to eat the seafood raw over and over again! However, eating bad-tasting food is significantly better than starving to death and people have eaten much worse things than seafood to stay alive, so consider yourself lucky if you have this option!
Conclusion
While you should never eat crab that’s been dead for more than 20-30 minutes, live crab and other shellfish are awesome to keep around. If you need to keep a crab alive, you can always dig a deep hole, put some salt water in it, then throw the crab in the hole! Just make sure you cover or barricade it to keep it cool. Also, keep a good amount of ice on hand if you do need to kill the crab so you can keep the meat colder for longer! You can also add in some Epsom salts to flavor the crab and get some health benefits!
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is it safe to store dead crab?
If you keep them on ice, you can generally keep them for up to 24 hours. If they are not chilled, do not store them for more then 30 minutes.
Can you make dead crab edible by cooking it?
No! A crab that has died and is decaying will not be edible even after cooking it!