Freezing crays
Submitted by Sea goat on Tue, 2018-12-11 17:08
hey guys. Been trying to freeze some of my catch for Christmas lunch. Soo far I am putting in ice slurry to kill, then before boiling I am using the feelers to remove the poo tube. Then boiling in salted water with a splash of vinegar about 10 mins for average size. Then straight into ice water for 10 mins. I then break off the feelers/ miuth bits and hang upside down for about 10 mins before wrapping in newspaper, then in glad bag and into the freezer.
is there anything I should be doing differently to minimise the risk of spoilage? First time freezing crays, so any advice appreciated!!
cheers!
Outwide
Posts: 68
Date Joined: 12/05/17
Add honey to your water.
Add honey to your water.
D_d_001
Posts: 1522
Date Joined: 09/03/13
I much prefer to freeze
I much prefer to freeze green
tiimmbo
Posts: 695
Date Joined: 16/08/09
I chuck them straight from
I chuck them straight from the esky into the freezer green.
Sea goat
Posts: 989
Date Joined: 26/03/17
I see. Will try that. In that
I see. Will try that. In that case do you defrost them in the fridge overnight before cooking?
ChrisG
Posts: 558
Date Joined: 30/12/11
Nowadays I always Freeze
Nowadays I always Freeze tails or whole green not cooked.
drip dry first but don’t go nuts wasting time
cryo vac (wrapped in paper first to stop piercing the vac bags with spiky bits)
last for 12 months easy
remove from bag but leave in paper in fridge to defrost then staight on bBQ or into pot to cook
I personally have had terrible results freezing boiled Crays in the past, anymore than a few weeks in the freezer - always seem to thaw wet, flesh goes soft or sometimes black or brown
Stevo81
Posts: 1278
Date Joined: 16/04/12
I vac seal green tails on
I vac seal green tails on foam trays. 2x trays doesn’t pierce bags
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kirky79
Posts: 1354
Date Joined: 13/01/12
I get home, put them into the
I get home, put them into the beer fridge, inside an empty block carton. Go to work, come home. Take the tail off, put two tails together on cardboard (usually the can divider from the block) Then cryovac and freeze, works awesome.
Sea goat
Posts: 989
Date Joined: 26/03/17
Hmmm... bugger, looks like
Hmmm... bugger, looks like raw is the consensus... hopefully I haven’t wrecked the ones I’ve caught!
brown364
Posts: 249
Date Joined: 25/08/15
I moved to
freezin cooked tails as whole green I found to go mushy especially tail side of head connection. Now I boil ,cool, put together 2 tails in a sort of 69 configurations, wrap with some paper towel and vac pac. I don't recall a failed tail last season.
Curndog
Posts: 449
Date Joined: 21/11/16
Nar freezing cooked no
Nar freezing cooked no problem. I take a bucket when I go out and fill up with sea water and boil when I get home from work after Crays been on ice slurry. Just wrap in a heavy duty plastic bag and last for a year
little johnny
Posts: 5363
Date Joined: 04/12/11
Like foam tray idea
I do tail to tail ( underside off tail facing each other) spikes
Bodie
Posts: 3758
Date Joined: 05/11/07
Everyone has their slight
Everyone has their slight differences
Freezing green is my way, whole, wrapped in news paper and one key thing i do is put them in the freezer head down to any crap runs to the head (including the blue blood)
good for 6-8 months easily.
scubafish
Posts: 962
Date Joined: 15/08/12
Just suggestion
If you wrap your crays in news paper then putting them into the freezer you are insulating the cray from the cold air and slowing down the freezing process.How long is that cray sitting in the freezer before it actually freezes ?
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