Storing Redclaw?

[Yoodles82]

This has probably been said before but i can't find the answer for the life of me.

Can you freeze redclaw?

I'm hoping on getting a bit to eat over the christmas break, as my family has never tried it before. And so i have to catch it and freeze it to take it home.

Can you freeze the shell? Like the tails? Or just the meat? Do you have to cook it first, or can you freeze it green?

Any answers would be good, as i'm planning on hitting somerset tomorrow.

Thanks

Nat

[bootyinblue]

Ummmmm tough questions there....

I have never freezed redclaw as I cook it up as soon as I get it (ask the guys from SOO last year. It was a strange concoction of redclaw, garlic, butter, and rum glaze) but I would say to take the meat out of the shell and then keep it at the lowest temp you can without freezing it if at all possible. If you are hygenic with your prep and then cook throughouly then 3 days or so should be ok.

If you freeze the meat, do it as quick as possible ie single flat sheets of meat not a huge bag full as you want the ice crystals which form to be as small as possible to minimise cell wall destruction :-)

[aussie123]

I rip the tails off and devein them and freeze them down in airtight bags or containers if it is short term only.

If I have a heap that will be eaten over a period of time I will freeze the tails down in containers with water covering the tails.

This stops them drying out and going tough and stringy.

If you have a quick freeze function on your freezer always use that for any seafood as the quicker it freezes the better quality the end product is.

I will be going out soon myself to stock up for chrissy lunch.

Lance

[rayke1938]

I freeze the tails after washing and deveining them. Vacuum sealed they keep for at least 6 months but its a pain to vacuum seal them as you have to wrap them in several layers of kitchen paper otherwise the sharp bits on the shells make small holes in the plastic bags.

Now I just store them in heavy zip tie bags or in 2l ice cream containers.

I have never bothered freezing them whole as they take up too much room in the freezer.

Cheers

Ray

[crazywalrus]

I do the same as Ray - I have never thought about freezing them in water. I freeze the tails in the zip lock bags (tails only) it is better to freeze them before eating I think as they come away from the shell once defrosted.

[buih87]

My mate has frozen the tails and he gave me a bag and he told me it can be taste great if you know how to cook it. I tried it anyway and frozen redclaw taste for to me boiled in water a bit of salt and lemon grass. dipped in lemon with salt and pepper. redclaw is not like crabs frozen.

[Travis]

Cut them in half, marinade and freeze

[rayke1938]

This is the way we did them last year

Devein and place in bucket cover with gladwrap and freeze.

heers

Ray

[Yoodles82]

How did you devein them ray???

[aussie123]

At the end of the tail you grab the top centre fin and twist it until it snaps and pull it away from the tail.

This pulls out the poopi shute at the same time.

[rayke1938]

The tail is in 3 segments.

I find the easiest method is to use a pair of bent nose pliers and grab the middle segment and twist once to left and then to right and then pull the vein out.

Cheers

Ray

[Yoodles82]

Aha, great.

I've got them purging in the esky right now.

Will give that a go later.

Thanks!

Nat