If you live far from the ocean but you’d like to eat crab meat, you can purchase pasteurized crab meat. You can find it easily at grocery stores or supermarkets in the refrigerated seafood section. You may eat it right directly or keep it and eat later. Then, how long can you keep pasteurized crab? Let’s check the answer out here!

Is Pasteurized Crab Real?

Pasteurized crab is a real crab meat. It is from cooked crabs. When the logistics cannot sell it fresh, they decide to pasteurize it in order to eliminate bacteria. Then, should you rinse pasteurized crab meat? No! That’s why you can eat it safely even right out of the package or can.

You can differentiate pasteurized crab from fresh crab meat. Fresh crab meat usually comes in plastic containers. Here, you have to eat it soon, no longer than a few days. On the other hand, pasteurized crab comes in sealed cans. Besides that, you can also keep pasteurized crab for a few months. You can also differentiate them from their taste.

The logistics have cooked the pasteurized crab meat before they put it in the can. So, you shouldn’t wash it before using it. For your information, pasteurization means a mild/moderate heat treatment. Usually, the logistics perform it on fishery products after they place them in the sealed finished container.

Do You Need to Cook Pasteurized Crab?

It is important to know that the logistics have fully cooked both pasteurized and fresh crab meats.  So, you don’t need to cook them before eating. Many people use them as part of a prepared dish. Besides that, some others prefer using them in certain recipes.

However, if you buy home-canned crab meat, you still need to cook it for 30 minutes.

Even more, you can use it for crab cakes. In this recipe, you should choose jumbo lump. It is also a good idea to buy frozen, pasteurized crab meat. In fact, it really extends the crab’s shelf life.

For the crab cake or crab dip, we also recommend you to use a mix of backfin meat & lump crab meat. In fact, lump crab guarantees the big mouth-watering bites of crabs. You shouldn’t worry if all the other ingredients cost very high.

How Long Does Pasteurized Crab Last?

Refrigerating pasteurized crab is very useful to extend its shelf life. To maximize its shelf life, you have to store it at the proper temperature in the refrigerator. If you don’t store it properly, it cannot reach its maximum shelf life.

Normally, an opened pasteurized crab lasts up to 3 days in the refrigerator. If you freeze it, you can extend its shelf life. Make sure that you freeze it in heavy-duty freezer bags. Alternatively, you can use covered airtight containers. You can also wrap it tightly with freezer wrap or heavy-duty aluminum.

So, how long can you keep pasteurized crab? It depends on where and how you keep it. Usually, canned pasteurized crab will remain good for up to 5 years. Even more, you can still use it safely after 5 years since you store it properly.

On the other hand, fresh crab will keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator. To store it, you should surround it with ice. Besides that, you also have to clear out the vegetable/meat keeper in the refrigerator. In addition, you must store it with lots of ice. In the refrigerator, steamed crabs may stay good for up to 7 days.

Then, how long does imitation crab last in the fridge unopened? If you buy imitation crab in loose form in trays, you can keep it in the refrigerator for 5 days. If you freeze it, you have to use it within 6 months.

You need to know that imitation crab can spoil. The signs are similar to those of fish. When it spoils, imitation crab meat will have a sour taste. Besides that, it will also have a slimy surface and foul fishy smell.

Can You Eat Pasteurized Crab Meat?

You can eat pasteurized even with no further cooking. Besides that, the process of pasteurization also extends its shelf life. Furthermore, it prevents the crab meat from spoiling. Since you keep the pasteurized crab in the refrigerator properly, you can eat it safely.

However, you may also cook pasteurized crab meat again if you want. It depends on any recipe you want to add. Then, you may also add extra seasonings. Anyway, it doesn’t matter whether you want to eat right out of the can or cook it again with your own recipe.

How to Eat Pasteurized Crab Meat

We have explained that you can eat pasteurized crab meat even with no further cooking and additional seasonings. However, you may want to make a nice dish from it. For example, you can use it in crackers, toasts, or sandwiches. Besides that, it is also a good idea to make delicious crab cakes with pasteurized crab meat.

If you want to eat it, you have to open the lid first. You can use a can opener. Alternatively, you can soak it into a bowl. You cannot forget to remove all the water or drain the water inside the can before eating or using it.

Then, you should check it & look for some shell fragments. If you find any, just remove them! It is also a good idea to use it with toast or crackers. Here, you just need to add simple seasonings. For example, you want to add a squeeze of lime or a sprinkle of salt.

Because pasteurized crab meat can spoil, you have to know how to tell it. You can say pasteurized crab meat already spoils if it smells stink. Besides that, you may also need to check its appearance. However, you shouldn’t try it. You just have to ensure whether it is still edible or not.

To sum up, how long can you keep pasteurized crab? As long as you keep it properly, you can extend its shelf life. After reading the guidelines above, make sure that you store it at proper temperature and consume it before it spoils.