Can you get sick from eating crab legs?
Chef's answer
The affected crab meat contains a bacteria called Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which has caused at least 12 individuals mostly in the Mid-Atlantic region to fall ill with serious symptoms, including chronic vomiting, severe diarrhea, and dangerously high fevers.
Frequently asked Questions 🎓
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Shellfish Some of the most popular types include shrimp, crab, lobster, mussels, oysters, clams, and scallops. Interestingly, shellfish are low in fat yet high in cholesterol.
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In people, consumption of domoic acid causes nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps shortly after eating tainted shellfish. Within 48 hours this can develop into headache, dizziness, confusion, motor weakness, and in severe cases, short-term memory loss, coma, and death.
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StepsFill large stockpot or Dutch oven half full with water.
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Do not overcook crab legs. They are already fully cooked and it's just a matter of heating them through for a maximum of 4 minutes, or until hot to the touch. Over cooking the crab, and letting it sit too long in the water causes the meat to turn yellowish in colour and give it a strong fishy odour..
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The crabs are done when they turn orange and the meat flakes when tested with a fork. Carefully remove the crabs from the pot with clean tongs and serve on a platter with a sprinkling of seafood seasoning and some lemon wedges..
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Wash your crab legs with water to make sure you get rid of any sand or grit on the shell. ... Once the water is boiling, add the crab legs to the steamer basket and reduce the heat so the water is simmering. Cook the legs for about 5 minutes until heated through. Serve.
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One at a time, grasp crabs as described above and plunge them headfirst into the boiling water.
A few more cooking questions 📍