Crabs

royalfish · 10-06-2003, 12:51 PM

Had a great weekend with the college kids catching crabs.

We all pigged out on fresh dungies and took a bunch home, gave some to my friends and neighbors I still have some crabs. So I thought I would throw out a question to all the dogs.
I have tried freezing, vacuum packing, and canning these tasty treats and have yet to come up with anything that I am very pleased to serve or eat at a later date.
My best results so far was to make crab cakes sans any breading and then freezing and vacuum packing, and this is just ok compared to fresh. Have also froze and vacuum packed the cleaned crab meat and it is fine in a dip but nothing near the fresh taste.
Just looking for any ideas, suggestions, receipes from all this wisdom that is on this site.

Appreciate your input.

Royalfish

Miss B Haven · 10-06-2003, 01:05 PM

There was a thread last year about Vacuuum packing, freezing and CANNING crab. Word is that the canned crab meat is great. I haven't tried it, sounds like a lot of work. You cook and shell it out like normal before canning so it's like twice as much work (ya- I'm lazy).
We shell it out and vacuum pack the meat. Sure- it's not like fresh but in Casseroles/Cakes etc it's a lot better than the alternative in the off season (no crab at all).
I'll see if I can find that link on Canning crab.

Here it is (one anyway):
http://www.ifish.net/ubb/ultimatebb....=007311#000003

[ 10-06-2003, 02:08 PM: Message edited by: Miss B Haven ]

royalfish · 10-06-2003, 02:29 PM

Hey Mel,
I am like you. It is great in dips or dishes and OK in omlettes, but it is hard to beat fresh. Oughta be fun to see what comes up on this.
Saw some orange floats with a black stripe(?) around A jetty this weekend. Hope everybody knows that traps are not allowed in Washington waters [img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img] . Don't want to see any ifishers get handed a yellow slip with dates and dollars signs attached

Thanks for the link!!

Miss B Haven · 10-06-2003, 02:58 PM

royalfish- I've been telling everybody that for a year but nobody seems to care (or wants to believe it). Seems that WA hasn't been checking up much.

Even when the traps are allowed in that water you have to have all the WA proper colors and markings to be legal. :depressed:

Oh- and you need a WA shellfish license right?

[ 10-06-2003, 04:26 PM: Message edited by: Miss B Haven ]

Mello-Yello · 10-06-2003, 09:49 PM

Here's something I've tried. I don't do it often, as I can typically eat a limit of crab in a couple days...myself!

Ok, you have too many crab and some free time on your hands (and for some reason you feel energetic)...

Take a medium size bowl. Crack one whole crab (or half a crab, up to you) and put the meat in the bowl. Make sure that all the yummy water that was in the crab makes it in the bowl too.

Dump the contents in a foodsaver bag (yummy water too). Don't seal the bag! Do a few of these, basically as many as you have the patience to do (any recruitments are welcome). Put all the "unsealed" bags of crab in a tupperware'ish container that allows the bags to stand up freely. Put the container in the freezer and freeze overnight. Next day, run your bags through your foodsaver. You'll have a pretty darn tasty bunch of crab when you thaw these out. The problem with vac-sealing is it sucks all the water out. When the meat thaws in that bath of natural water, it seems to bring a lot of the original taste back.

It's not fresh, but when there ain't no crab to be had, it's the best stuff I've found (aside from canning, which looks like WAY too much work).

To desperate people taking desperate measures...

M-Y

Mr. Fisherman · 10-06-2003, 09:56 PM

I've heard that freezing Crab in milk works and leaves a very tasty product but you have to have left over crab to try this, who has that :whazzup:

[ 10-07-2003, 12:47 PM: Message edited by: Mr. Fisherman ]

ANDYCOHO · 10-06-2003, 11:04 PM

Quote:

you have to have left over crab to try this, who has that

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Not me!! :grin:

How can something that crawls on the ocean floor, eating dead things taste sooooo good???

Miss B Haven · 10-07-2003, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mr. Fisherman:
freezing Crab in mike :whazzup:

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Say what? What if you don't have any friends named "Mike"?? :shocked: :grin: :whazzup:

Hmmm.... Was this supposed to be "milk"?? 2% or skim?
:grin:

royalfish · 10-07-2003, 02:45 PM

Thanks for all the input. I will freeze my cracked crab in their juices and see what it tastes like this spring. Canning appears the way to go but it is alot of work.
I will also try some in the milk and freeze the whole shootin match prior to sealing.

Mel, I have been told by a reliable source that if you are an Oregon boat and Oregon resident landing in Washington waters on the CR you do not need a Washington shell fish license. If you are crabbing elsewhere, you are required to comply with Washington rules.
Again, thanks for all your help and I will let you know how it tastes this spring.

Twinpowered · 10-07-2003, 09:04 PM

I've had good luck simply freezing the cooked crab halves in the shell. The key is cooking them fresh and keeping them ice cold. I don't cook them whole, we split em, clean em out good, then cook. what we don't eat we freeze in vacuum seal bags but then put those in ziplocks. sometimes the pointy edges poke through the vacuum bag.

Mr. Fisherman · 10-07-2003, 11:48 PM

Leave it to the guy in the pink feather boa and the Salty Dog Bergee thong ta pick up on dat. It be fixed... lol [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

Pitch Pocket · 10-08-2003, 06:59 AM

The reciprocal agreement with Washington does allow you to launch and land your catch on either side using either a Washington or Oregon license. However the agreement stops when the rules are different, like closures and equipment differences. Right now, and since Sept 15, Washington crabbers are not allowed to use pots in Washington waters. Fortunately for Oregon crabbers, the only Washington water in the estuary is the water west of the A jetty from the end following a line out to the point at Fort Canby and upstream from Sand Island. All of the man made Sand Islands are within the Oregon boundaries.

8knots · 10-08-2003, 09:52 AM

The Sand Islands are in OR. This is due to the early and very wealthy canners in Astoria. This area was one of the best for catching big Chinook with the horse drawn nets. The canners used their wealth and political clout to have the boundries drawn to make this part of OR. Hard to believe when you are clearly on the WA side that it is OR.

Miss B Haven · 10-08-2003, 02:06 PM

Interesting, I heard a little different version and certainly not that Sand Islands were manmade. That's a lot of sand for what, pre-1859 (Oregon Statehood?). When did they first start dredging anyway? Maybe the sand just showed up after the put the pilings in.
Anywho- I heard the Astoria Canneries used Sand Island as a landing for the fishing boats that worked the canneries.
The truth is probably some of all of the above?
Wasn't WA a state before Oregon? Might have been a concession on the WA side to avoid Oregon opposition to the WA Statehood movement. After all - they got the San Juans, we got Sand Island and a few Crabs! [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img]

OH- and they can Crab OUR Sand Island water year round with pots of any color and no License! Tell me they aren't the weiners in that Land deal.

[ 10-08-2003, 04:15 PM: Message edited by: Miss B Haven ]

Pitch Pocket · 10-08-2003, 04:14 PM

I was told that East Sand Island was a small natural island that they added to with dredgings and west Sand Island was not there. I heard that before the shipping channel was changed to the 'Oregon side', it actually was over there. Dredging the south side of the river resulted in the islands size.

And I don't think they can crab our sand island without the proper Washington gear unless they launch and land in Oregon can they?

[ 10-08-2003, 05:16 PM: Message edited by: Pitch Pocket ]

Miss B Haven · 10-08-2003, 07:52 PM

Steve- the Oregon regs for the reciprical "boundary waters" are very clear that you can launch and land from either state with either license but you must follow the regulations of the state whos waters you are fishing in.
I sent a note to WA Fiah and Game about crabbing last year, but never got a response.
Your post is the first I've seen that says we Oregonians can crab WA waters without one of there shellfish licenses (they also have harvest tag for crab now). I've heard otherwise from other people.
I can't find anything in the WA regs about boundary waters at all, and the Oregon regs aren't clear as to whether the recirocal aggreement applies to shellfish. Since OR doesn't require a license anyway why should they elaborate (it's a little weird).
Why or how would WA care (or enforce) about how WA crabbers are fishing in OR waters? Even if they did care they would only care that you were following OR regs in OR waters.
My big question is still whether the reciprocal agreement actually does apply to crab/shellfish in the CR Estuary?

Pitch Pocket · 10-09-2003, 07:53 AM

Mel, the way I understand it, the reciprical deal works if the OR/WA regs match. At this time (and really at no time) they don't. If you launch and land in WA, you are subject to the WA rules.

I also sent an email to WDFW and so far haven't heard anything, but I did contact Matt Hunter (503) 325-2462, the shellfish biologist for the ODFW in Astoria by phone and he gave me more detailed information than I've received from anyone. You might give him a call to get a reality check.

I didn't say Oregonians can crab Washington waters without a Wa license and proper gear, I said that the Sand Islands on the WA side of the river are not WA waters. If you look at the political boundary line between OR & WA, you will see that both of the islands are in Oregon! Here's the map Sand Island Political Bounday Line

Washington crabbers can crab Oregon waters, but if they land their catch in WA right now, they better not have traps according to what I learned. I haven't done it, but a call to the Washington State Police would give a tell about what they are enforcing.

My take is that the reciprocal agreement is not valid for Oregonians wanting to land their crab catch in WA because the rules don't match.
1) you need a WA license to land crab in WA
2) you have gear restrictions (red & white buoys only and no traps from Sept 15 - Dec 1).

So, if a WA crabber is properly licensed and has the proper gear, he can crab anywhere in the estuary, launch anywhere and land anywhere. If an OR crabber does not have the WA gear and license, he'd better launch and land in Oregon and only crab Oregon water. The good thing is there is relatively little WA crabbing water in the lower Columbia. You'd just better know where that WA water is and stay away.

If you find something different, let me know. But I think that is correct and is certainly erring on the safe side if you are an Oregon crabber.

royalfish · 10-10-2003, 08:57 AM

Pitch Pocket,
I think your biologist is/may be a little off base. I had a very pointed conversation with WDFW, Oregon boats crabbing in Washington waters must follow Washington gear restrictions/regulations. An Oregon boat (registration) can land crab in Washington waters (CR) without having a Washington shell fish license in accordance with the Columbia River Compact. You can have traps on board if you have been fishing Oregon waters. It is my understanding that Sand Island is in Oregon waters. Will be curious as to what WDFW has to say to your question(s). Please let us know when you get a response. In the mean time, I will be back at it this weekend, water permitting and will check with the WDFW enforcement personell and ask the question again.

Will post next week if I can find him. The answer ought to be interesting :grin:
Kevin

Pitch Pocket · 10-10-2003, 10:16 AM

I was my interpretation that traps and no license would be a no-no when landing in WA, the biologist didn't suggest that. It's good to know that you can land in WA without getting busted.

Clamman · 10-10-2003, 10:52 AM

Okay here is the skinny,

Pitchpocket's bio seemed to know what he was talking about for the most part. According to WDFW rules and regulations about crabbing in the Columbia River, "Crab fishers may fish for crab in Oregon waters under Oregon rules and land into Washington ports of the Columbia River" Thus that being said, it is legal for an Oregon resident or Washington resident to fish in Oregon waters, and get their 12 5.75" crab and land then in Washington. The same can be said for Oregon ports.

Can one use pots if the season is closed in Washington but open in Oregon and still land in Washington? Yes you can because you are allowed to under Oregon rules. You still must follow the rules of the state waters you are fishing in so keep that in mind.

NOW

Things will change as of January 1, 2004 because ODFW will require a shellfish license for those taking part or all of a harvest limit, or participating in harvest. That means that everyone who assists in or takes crab will need a license from Oregon if they are setting gear in Oregon waters. Just like you need a WDFW license if you are setting gear in Washington waters. Whether or not reciprocity will still be an issue remains to be seen.

This is rather confusing and likely will be until ODFW gets money from the new license to address these types of management issues.

Clam