Cook them.

Once they are cooked, they stay fresh for a long time.

dcarch

Here they are. Note the cardboard barrier, otherwise they would have crawled out when the door was opened. But they are no longer active. They are, however, still living. I checked.

40 degrees is pretty cold for crabs...If I was in a 40 Degree refrigerator I wouldn't move much either. Be sure they have enough oxygen to keen them alive....I think they will be fine...in a sort of suspended animation...LOL!\

The door gets opened fairly often, allowing new air in. Maybe they will die during the night, when the door will stay shut. I'll find out when I cook them, first thing in the morning.

I agree with Dcarch. Cook them!

Crabs are very much alive at cold temperature. The bottom of the ocean is about refrigerator temperature.

Don't worry about oxygen. Mail order crabs, lobsters are shipped in small boxes all the time.

There is not much air in sea water, they are used to it.

dcarch

You can smother crabs, lobsters, mussels etc. Shipping boxes have damp seaweed and air holes. Closed up tight in a plastic bag is not good....glad to hear they ready for the puzzle...at $10 a pound ...keep them happy.

Quick question - should I boil them, or steam them?

I've always boiled my crab and lobster, thinking it more humane. But which is better, from a culinary standpoint?

FYI, the menu tonight is below.. I'm not making everything, some stuff is being brought by friends. The Beet Citrus Salad is roasted beets, broiled/carmelized grapefruit/orange, in a Dijon dressing. The mashed cauliflower seems superfluous, but I'm not sure the person bringing the cauliflower au gratin will bring enough for 15. The two salads are unnecessary, but SMBO and I can't agree on a salad so we are making both. I'm not sure what the desserts are, as they are being brought.

Cheese Grapes Shrimp

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Cracked Crab

Cauliflower Au Gratin

Mashed Cauliflower

Caesar Salad

Beet Citrus Salad

Dessert

I'd stick with what you know -- we've always boiled. Growing up, we'd drop a crab pot or put on the waders to catch crabs. Due to the toxins this year (El Nino), the season has been delayed, thus the high price.

(I recall they tend to nap in the fridge -- I also recall a bucket of water sitting in the garage)

Hmm, I realized steaming will take too long. My big stock pots are loaned out to someone, the pot I have can only comfortably fit two crabs at a time, so I need to not take too long on each of the ten "batches" I'm doing. So, boiling it is.

Here is how they ship live lobsters, no air, no seaweed.

This is how I cook lobsters and crabs: Low and slow.

A big pot of 180F water (no fire).

Dump the crabs in water, and measure water to be no lower than 165F. Give it time.

Anything I can do to avoid boiling at 212F.

dcarch

It's probably not the same, but with blue crabs we just put them in a large washtub or ice chest and occasionally spray them with a water hose. I've never tried to keep them alive more than a few hours though.

John I have cooked ( boiled) lobster in a big roaster set over 2 burners on the stove....when I had more critters than I had pots.

oh and yes crabs...and lobster breathe. Deprive them of moisture and air and they die.
http://www.ask.com/pets-animals/crabs-breathe-6dfc3a1e29140888

Chefsteps also has a recommendation for low temperature cooking Dungeness crabs.

dcarch

Glad your crabs survived. (The night, anyway.)

Here is a picture of the only photogenic dIsh from last night.

This is a beet (red and yellow) and citrus salad. Citrus (grapefruit, blood orange) was sprinkled with brown sugar and broiled. Dressing was a Dijon mustard-citrus juice vinaigrette. Garnished with almonds and coconut.

We have another dinner here tonight. This is a small, low key affair with some neighbors. Which is good because yesterday evening I got a gout flare. Yes, gout. My gout is usually controlled with medication, this is the first flare I've had in two years. I finished making dinner, hosting, and half the cleanup last night, before my foot became too painful to stand on. The flare is slowly subsiding, but I still can't walk well, so SWMBO and daughter san have taken over cooking for tonight. Yay, I get a night off!

Looks good John I just wanted to chime in if the crabs are kept in the fridge they can survive pretty well.

Tonight's dinner setting

We had French onion soup, beef shank, lobster tail, lemon stuffed potatoes, etc. I didn't cook much of it, trying to minimize standing. Shellfish is supposed to be a gout trigger food, so I only had half a tail.

Alton Brown puts lobsters in the fridge (on purpose) when it's time to dispatch them, as a sort of "anesthesia". So you were right, they do get sluggish.

Oh, and get well.

Beautiful table....and awesome restraint on the "only half a lobster tail". Get well....eat cherries!