Have you ever found black spots on crab legs? Some people feel that this is something dangerous or parasitic or something else, so that crabs with black marks or spots on their legs are inedible or dangerous to eat.
This is often found in snow crabs, and this is actually a natural thing. Black spots on crab legs are not a disease, it’s just a dirty crab that hasn’t molted yet. When a crab develops its body, it replaces its skin and the skin will be discarded and replaced with a new skin, just like other shelled animals. So this is a natural thing and crabs like this are safe to eat.
So, you don’t need to be afraid or throw away the crabs that have black spots on their legs. Even this is an advantage, if you find this crab in the fish market, usually the price is cheaper because of its dirty appearance, even though the meat is the same.
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There are also those who say that the black spots on the crab’s legs or on the back of the shell are the result of damage caused by an immunological reaction. This means that the crab responds to some of the damage that occurs to its shell so that the color becomes black spots. So, if you find this in crabs, don’t throw them away, but check to see if these black spots affect the meat. If not, then it’s safe to eat after cooking.
Even if you find the crab meat has changed due to the black spots, then you don’t need to throw the whole crab away. It is enough to just remove the infected part. While other crab body parts you can eat as usual. But for this type of crab, it should not be eaten raw, you have to cook it first to be safe.
Do Crab Legs have Parasites?
It is possible that crab legs contain parasites, but you don’t need to be afraid of black spots on crab legs, these are not parasites. These are just effects and reactions due to impact or shell damage. Even if it’s a parasite, as long as you cook it properly, it’s safe to eat.
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Why do crabs have to be cooked? All aquatic animals including fish are likely to be infected with parasites including crabs. Crabs are sometimes also infected with a parasite called Paragonimus. Well, by cooking the crab properly until it is cooked, if there is a parasite then it will die and the crab meat will be safe to eat.
How to Cook Crab?
Cooking crabs can vary according to individual tastes. Some people boil it and others steam it. However, there are many crab recipes out there. You can choose the one that you think is delicious and healthy.
However, if we compare steaming crabs vs boiling, which one is better? Some say that steaming crabs is better than boiling. The reason is that crabs still have a great taste, without any nutrients or flavors leaking into the cooking water. So, all the nutrition and taste of the original crab is still there.
How Long should I Steam Crab?
How to steam crab is easy, first boil one inch of salt water in a saucepan.
Then put the crab into the steamer basket, you can also put the crab directly into the pot and it’s okay to boil the bottom of the crab for a while. The bottom crab can serve as a base or platform for other crabs above it.
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Cover the pot and cook for about 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the crab. If your crab is large, the shell will be very hard and it will take longer to steam. So you can customize!