When it comes to cooking, the methods we choose can often stir more than just flavours, and as TikTok continues to be a platform for culinary experimentation, one video has sparked a wave of controversy.
A video of a woman cooking live crabs in an air fryer to prepare a seafood boil has sparked outrage and disgust on TikTok, with many users criticising her for her cooking method.
The video, which has been widely shared on the platform, shows content creator @contentwithcee placing the crabs in the air fryer basket.
The crabs can be heard making sounds as she seasoned them while they were still alive and kicking, which sent her comment section into a frenzy since the crabs’ legs were still twitching.
“I used the fish setting cause it didn’t have a crab setting, and I let them cook for about 15 minutes,” Chels explained in the video.
“Don’t knock it till you try it. It was kinda sad watching them, kind of, you know, but these crabs came out so good and juicy,” she added.
The Atlantic blue crabs went into the air fryer still in their original state, blue, but as the video cuts to the cooking process, you can see them turn red.
As the video continues, she mentions that she will be putting her crabs in the air fryer moving forward since they came out well-cooked, ouch!
@contentwithcee Let’s make a crab boil in the airfryer… Soo freaking GOOD! #bluecrab#livecrab#cooktok#fyp ♬ original sound – ShawnWalka
Many TikTok users were appalled by the video, which sparked a debate with some calling it “cruel”. Others expressed concern about the welfare of the crabs, arguing that the crabs could feel pain.
The “Putative Nociceptive Responses in a Decapod Crustacean: The Shore Crab (Carcinus maenas)” has shown that crustaceans (crabs) exhibit behaviours consistent with pain perception.
Additionally, the study found that crabs display pain-related responses to painful stimuli, such as rubbing and guarding the affected area (Kasiouras et al.).
This scientific evidence supports the claim that crabs are capable of feeling pain, and many users took to the comments to express their outrage and concern about the treatment of the crabs in the video.
TikTok user @Hi commented: “Crabs have a nervous system by the way and feel pain. They’re also emotionally intelligent. They feel happiness, fear, etc.”
Another user @J asked: “U realise crabs are sentient beings, right. Meaning they feel and experience pain and suffering. Does the USA not have an animal welfare act ???” And @Koriedeann commented: “Being seasoned before death is wild… 😭.”
The video has sparked a heated debate on TikTok, with some users defending the woman’s cooking method, saying that crabs are cooked alive, and others strongly condemning it.
One user gave the creator advice on how to prepare crabs without causing harm.
@xerio34 said: “For future reference, put them in the freezer so they fall asleep and then cut the apron so it doesn’t feel a thing🤦🏽♀️.”
