period crab recipes (was SC - Chinese Crab - Charibdys japonica)

[Olwen the Odd]

There appears to be a huge range of
>different styles.
>
>Interestingly enough, one of the recipes demonstrates what I was trying
>to tell Stefan about the difference between industrially-made and
>homemade crab cakes: it says that while the recipe will freeze well, you
>don't want to prepare more than two pounds per batch. I don;t know if
>this is about the difficulties of mixing a large batch withiout
>overprocessing, or speed required to freeze them, or what, but either
>possibility seems likely.
>
>Adamantius
>--
>Phil & Susan Troy

There are probably about as many ways to make and cook crabcakes as there 
are for chicken.  With that in mind, you can imagine there are some that far 
out-rank others.

I suspect the shelf life of crab meat is the reason for not making or 
freezing too much at once.  A live crab must me live when cooked.  The dead 
ones are tossed out.  A cooked crab can stay good in the fridge for only 
about 3 days.  A frozen crab (meat) deteriorates in texture as well as taste 
pretty rapidly too.  The quick freeze method will keep them longer; and 
finally the added preservatives and stabalizers will help them keep longer, 
but also do other damage.  Having never really read the frozen crab boxes I 
wonder if there are imitation meats in some of them.  Phillips Seafood is 
the only frozen one I would purchase if I had to.  I am very familiar with 
their restaurant and the woman who made up their recipe is a friend of mine. 
  I still prefer my own recipe though.
Olwen
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