How to Cook Canned Crab Meat

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Things You'll Need

  • Canned crab meat

  • Fine mesh strainer

  • 2 Bowls

  • Recipe

Store bought canned crab meat is fully cooked and can be eaten straight from the can. Home-canned crab meat should be cooked for 30 minutes before eating. The real joy of canned crab meat is that you can have it sitting on your pantry shelf ready to use in a recipe at a moments notice. Canned crab meat can be bought in most grocery stores and carries a wide range of prices. For the best crab meat, choose the best brand your budget can afford.

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Step 1

Open the can and dump the contents into a mesh strainer over a bowl so you can save the juice in the can.

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Step 2

Pick through the crab meat and remove any shell fragments you find. A shell fragment is not unusual in the cans of even the most expensive brands.

Step 3

Use the crab meat in any recipe calling for crab or shrimp. This can be gumbo, stir-fry or bisque soup.

Step 4

Make an omelet using the crab meat and smoked Swiss cheese as the filling.

Step 5

Make a white sauce using the reserved crab juice as a base. Thicken the juice with butter and flour. Add a cup of milk or cream and stir until thick. Add the crab meat and serve over cooked spaghetti or other kinds of noodles.

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Step 6

Make crab cakes by combining 2 cans of crab meat with 2 slices of cubed white bread, 2 eggs, 2 tbsp. each of mustard and sherry, and 1/2 cup mayonnaise. Form into patties and fry until golden brown on both sides over medium heat in a skillet with 2 tbsp. of oil.

Tip

Canned crab meat can be used straight from the can as an addition to salads or mixed in dips and spreads.

When cooking home-canned crab meat, use a cooking thermometer to ensure that the crab meat dish reaches an internal temperature of 185 degree F.

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