hey guys i have started to catch a few muddies lately and am having alot of trouble tryin to tie them. they seem to get there claws free real easy, if anyone has some advise that would be great. also what is the maximum time you can keep crabs before cooking them. cheers steve
Too much effor tying crabs in my opinion. Just chuck them into damb heshion sack with a stick of mangrove leaf between them and you wont have any troubles. When you get home either ice them down to make them easy on handle or (if your confident) stick them straight into the pot/pan or whatever.
I generally cook them whole and clean them later.
Have kept muddies alive for about 2 days with the above mentioned method and a bit of fresh salt water but really wouldnt recommend it if you can. The sooner you cook them the better IMO. Also, if you kill them first dont wait too long before you cook them - the flesh degrades pretty quickly.
Also... If your really keen to tie them stay away from smooth lylon rope. Try heavy cooking twine. Method is way too complex for me to try and explain!
I have often thought some huge electrical ties might also work??
The Northern Territory version of the DPI has some great fact sheets on muddies. One shows you how to tie them
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Greetings!
One of the fisheries sites has a diagram showing you how to tie crabs.
www.nt.gov.au/dpifm/Fisheries/Content/File/FN14.pdf
It involves standing on the shell with a bare foot as you tie them. Take care though! A friend of mine managed to tie one to his foot after a few to many beers in the tinny. Fortunately for him its claws weren't free otherwise it could have been very nasty!
Regards, Rob.
Ballina.
Girls find it easy
Last edited by mod5; 13-11-2007 at 07:18 PM.
Regards
mod5
Gday Steve,
Make sure you get those nippers in tight and close to the body and then keep tention on the string until its tied. I have always used bailing twine, nice and strong and easy to tie. Is that a vindicator I see in the background, nice boat.
another way of subdueing their nippers is to break off the last join off 2 of their legs (the pointy bit) and jam it into where the moving part joins the "club" part of their nipper. Jam it in real tight and this will force their nipper closed, and no more toes lost. The peice of leg can be substituted for a pointy stick of about the same shape, but using the leg is easier as they are very close at hand.
Also I cook them pretty quick, just chuck em in the freezer for about 1/2-1 hour to put them to 'sleep' and put them into a pot of boiling water upside down. By putting them in 'asleep' they are less likely to throw any nippers/legs and upside down, there won't be any meat lost. I find they are cooked when there is a layer of greeny white scum on top of the water, once they are cooked allow to cool upside down so none of their juices leak out and allow them to soak back into the meat.
But if you insist on tie them, it is easier in bare feet (watch those nippers!!). With you foot on their back with just enough pressue to hold them down (we don't want smashed crabs now do we?) use a thin hemp rope or cooking string and take it under their 'chin, but above where their nippers join the carapace. Then wrap the string down under their nippers and over their back and pull their nippers tight into their body. Run the string down their back and take the string around the outside of thier swimmers (or back legs if these have been thrown), turn the crab on its back, making sure their nippers are still in tight to their body, bring the string across the rear of the flap and tie tightly, all the time making sure the nippers are in tight or they will get loose.
big steve,
i have kept them up to 10 days alive out of water, just need a shady spot and give them a drink of salt water every 2nd day.
G'dayOriginally Posted by whitingkiller
Do you take them for walks aswell?
Seriously though, I haven't ever tied my muddies up, yet to learn. Heading out sunday, so see what comes of it
Dave
i followed the diagrams on this webpage, works a treat.
http://www.bbbalc.com/Recipes/MudCra...ngMudCrabs.pdf
edit: just noticed its same as link provided above
Last edited by ashh; 15-11-2007 at 05:22 PM.
.......Ash
We used to toss the muddies into a sack with some mangrove branches that stopped them fighting. But these days I have been told that it is illegal to have mangroves on board, im not sure if this is the case but I dont take the risk. Because the pots are the last thing to come on board before heading home I just toss them into and icebox. By the time im home and the motor is flushed they are ready to go into the pot.
no need to put them in the freezer for more than about 10 minutes, in 1 or more hours they will be hard as a rock, also a mate of mine used short strong elastic bands to 'tie" his crabs, I just use the " in the bait freezer method" and don't bother tieing them, even though I know how to!
I've tried the bands, they don't work for me, they always slip off or break. Tying them works well, as we all know you can never have enough room in a boat, and if you can put them all it the same bucket/sack/esky without them destroying one another is always handy, I tried the mangrove foilage but they still managed to smash each other up, so usually I tie them, or I will jam the pinty bit of thier leg in the pincer to keep it closed.
Easiest way is to lock the claws. Take a few tooth picks and place it in the joint above the claw. This with prevent the claw from opening. No need to tie the crabs. I usually break the tip of the crab and place it in the joint, quick and easy
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