how should blue crabs be stored right after catching them?

Answer 1

Front of pants.

Answer 2

NOT IN WATER. They'll die quickly in the water. Either put a damp towel over the bucket, add seaweed to the bucket, or buy a cooler with a lid. Blue claw crabs should be cooked the same day you catch them. If the crab is dead, throw it away.

Answer 3

I throw them on ice, calms them down and in an almost dead state.
But after a few hours of being on ice, I can pull them out and let them thaw and they'll come back to life.
I never keep them more than a few hours before I cook them.

Just a fair warning though, Don't keep them in the same cooler as you do drinks. Ive had them poke holes in coke cans before when I though they were dead. Makes a big mess.

Answer 4

Try to keep them as wet and cool as possible. I keep the ones I catch in a wooden bushel basket and keep them covered with wet newspaper in the shade. Once every hour or so I wet them down again with a hose or bucket of cool/cold water. They can last a few hours this way then they must be cooled with ice in a cooler until steamed and eaten.Ummmm Good ..........Old Bay & JP spice ROCKS!

Answer 5

keep 'em cool and moist and they'll survive for a few hours.

If you're gonna clean them I like to put them in a 5 gal pail with all the ice from my fridge. This lets me strip 'em in a really subdued state and keep them from pinching the hell out of you.

Answer 6

I would say in water...