Crab Meat

[johnkocsis]

I have two questions. First, I have a can of lump crab meat that has a "best by" date of 3/31/08, that has not yet been opened, is it okay to eat? Second, this crab in a can is already cooked, so I can make say crab salad with it. Thanks in advance for any information you can share with me.

John

[Kitchen Witch]

Remember that expiration dates are the recommendation of the manufacturer of when you should use that food item for the best quality and taste. As long as the can is not bulging or punctured bacteria won't set in - so it would be the taste that would be the concern. The longer you wait - the more the taste would be affected. With canned fish/seafood - I would eat that imediately - but if it smells funny - don't even taste it - just toss it. Better safe than sorry.

[johnkocsis]

And the 2nd part of my question, the crab has already been cooked, correct? I can just use it as is. I wanted to make a soup and add it to the top right before serving.

[Kitchen Witch]

Canned crab meat can be used for dips, etc. - it is a cooked product - unless otherwise stated on the can. Remember to go through and remove any cartilage.

[johnkocsis]

Kitchen Witch, THANK YOU so much for the speedy reply, it really helped.

[Kitchen Witch]

You're very welcomed!

[Rose52738]

I want to make shrimp w/linguini but Im not sure what kind of sauce would go best with the linguini. The shrimp would be in the garlic sauce but do I use that for the linguini?

[Kitchen Witch]

Hi Rose -

First of all - Welcome to RSN!

Of course you can! You can use any white sauce-type sauce, tomato-based sauce or aioli. If you would like to see white sauce with several variations - check our SEARCH and type in white sauce - you'll see many different recipes. You can also check out other shrimp/pasta recipes by checking the INGREDIENT forum and look for either shrimp or pasta and you can do a search in the RECIPE EXCHANGE, SECRET RECIPES, FAVORITES or WHAT'S FOR DINNER.

I hope this helps!

Welcome aboard!

Kitchen Witch