Why does my pier caught crab taste really bitter?

[ILL PHIL]

Two days in a row I went hooping off of the Venice Pier and caught a few nice sized Yellow Rock crabs. I stored the crab in a 5 gal bucket with no water. I brought them home after about 3 hours and boiled some water with added salt and on the first day boiled just the crab claws and on the second the whole crab. I boiled for about 8-10 min. Both days the meat in the claws was really bitter, like asprin.
Maybe it wasn't very bitter, but it definitely wasn't the sweet crab flavor that i was expecting. I let a few other people try the crab and they didn't like it either.

Any ideas of whats going on? Should i not be eating pier caught crab?

thanks in advance.

Phil

[smokehound]

Crabs spoil rapidly after death. That bitter flavor is spoiled meat.

Unlike shore crabs, which are actually land-crabs, rock crabs are marine and cannot breathe air.

And by rapidly, I mean in less than an hour.

Try soaking a clean towel in seawater, then simply toss it on top of em. They'll survive much longer that way.

Copper also kills crabs quickly, if any buckets had contact with tap water, the copper residue will kill the crabs, too.

[ILL PHIL]

This would be my first guess also, but it doesn't explain yesterdays crab which i boiled whole, was still moving pretty aggressively when i put him in the pot.

[Re8elmonk0341]

I think it's from boiling the crab. All that water goes back into the meat. Try steaming it instead of boiling.

[ILL PHIL]

I will definitely try that on the next crab... If it comes out bad i don't think i will be crabbing anymore off the Venice pier.

[flyhigh123]

that crab might make you ill phil

:D

[Re8elmonk0341]

Or boil it how they boil blue crabs in the east coat. Look at YouTube for the info on that

[GR6RR]

dead/spoiled crabs will give you the runs too. stay away! or keep em alive!

[smokehound]

I think it's from boiling the crab. All that water goes back into the meat. Try steaming it instead of boiling.

Good point I hadnt thought about that.