Storing Mussels
Live shellfish should be consumed as soon as possible after purchase. Place Mussels in a container, cover with a damp cloth and keep in the warmest part of the refrigerator, usually the crisper (optimum 5°C), ensuring that the covering remains damp. Before cooking, discard any shells that are open and don’t close when tapped or gently squeezed (you may need to give them 10-20 minutes out of the fridge to warm up first). Cooked Mussels can be removed from their shells and frozen for up to 3 months (below -18ºC) then thawed in the refrigerator and used in soups or salads (do not recook as they’ll become tough).
Storing Crabs
Crustaceans (crab): When cooked they are orange in colour with no black discolouration, particularly at the joints. Shells should be firmly intact and have a pleasant sea smell. When uncooked, they are known as ‘green’ though they may sometimes be another colour. Shells should be firm and have a pleasant sea smell. When live, look for active animals for freshest flavour. These must be killed as humanely as possible. We recommend drowning in fresh water, or freezing for 30 minutes before cooking. We do not recommend cooking live animals as it is unnecessarily cruel and will toughen the meat.
Freezing crab: cooked and uncooked, they should be cleaned well then wrapped unshelled in foil; avoid piercing foil. Place into freezer bag, remove air, seal, date and label. Freeze for up to 3 months. Please read our General Disclaimer.