Additionally, watermen call male blue crabs “jimmies,” adult female blue crabs “sooks,” and adolescent female blue crabs “sally.”. An average blue crab weighs about 1/3 pound with the edible portion quite low. Well, that’s precisely what it is! Crab: Fans love crab for its sweet, succulent meat, but there’s plenty nutrition-wise to get excited about, too. Fortunately, that is no longer the case. Browse our RECIPE CENTER for more ideas from our chefs. Compared to other king crab varieties, red king crab meat tends to have a bit more flavor. "Full mud crabs often have algae or barnacles on the shell. ). Moving Crab Sustainability Forward. Crabmeat is a good source of low-fat protein, niacin, and zinc, and it also supplies folate, iron, and a large amount of the antioxidant mineral selenium.But its biggest claim to nutrient fame is its vitamin B12 content, with 3 ounces of cooked crabmeat providing over 250 percent of the required amount.. We hope this guide helps you out a bit! Blue crabs also play a key role in managing the populations of the animals they prey on, and constant overharvesting has had wide-ranging negative effects on the ecosystems they inhabit. You might only want to bother with this part if you have Dungeness, blue crabs, or any other crab with a top shell that's wider than 5 1/2 inches. Crabs are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton, composed primarily of highly mineralized chitin, and armed with a single pair of chelae (claws). "Sometimes the shell will appear translucent. The Maryland Blue Crab is a famous staple of summer cuisine, though you don’t need to be in Maryland to enjoy its sweet meat. The claws on the stone crab easily detach, to quickly get away from predators. Colossal lump crab (also known as mega jumbo or super jumbo) is the large chunks of meat that connect to the swimmer fins. According to a survey of 20 crab houses in the Baltimore area, female crabs by the dozen were priced at between 51 and 85 cents to the dollar, compared to males. It is used in pasta dishes such as crab linguine and crab risotto. Male blue crabs have bright blue claws, whereas female blue crabs have red-tipped claws (often likened to the red painted nails of female humans). However, you will notice that an adolescent male blue crab’s apron is shut, whereas an adult male blue crab’s apron is free to open, a sign of its readiness to mate. When a stone crab is caught, the fishermen tear off its claws and then release the crab back into the ocean. While still much smaller than king crab, bairdi crab is significantly larger than opilio snow crab. Looking at the bottom of the crab the shell is pure white, thus the name “whitey”. Crab meat or crabmeat is the meat found within a crab.It is used in many cuisines across the world, prized for its soft, delicate and sweet taste. More Shell = Lower Price Crab is very labor intensive to remove from its shell. The rear-most fin of the crab which has a flat, oval shaped swimming paddle. In terms of molting, male blue crabs shed their shell about twenty times until maturity, while female blue crabs shed about eighteen times. Other crabs that are commonly found in the menu include snow crab, golden king crab, red and blue king crabs. Lump: Combination of “special” and “super lump” (60/40.) These claws then regenerate rather quickly. Backfin: Combination of “special” and “super lump” (80/20.) You might only want to bother with this part if you have Dungeness, blue crabs, or any other crab with a top shell that's wider than 5 1/2 inches. The crab meat in the claws of the stone crab is incredibly delicious and is reminiscent to that of lobster meat, making the stone crab an expensive dinner option. To open a cooked blue crab or dungeness crab, or other type of crab that has edible body meat, break off and set aside all the limbs, flip the body upside down, and use a knife to pry off the shell in the centre of its bottom (called the “apron” flap.) Snow Crabs are found all over both the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. Step Five: Attack the Legs and Claws. These crabs shy away from warm water, congregating in nooks of cold water around the Bering Sea and nearby islands, like King Island, Point Hope and Norton Sound. With the lump meat found in the clusters under control, now it's time to attack the crab… An experienced crab picker can produce about 2 1/4 ounces of meat from each pound of live blue crabs. King Crabs are the most popular variety of crabs. Maryland blue crab meat must be eaten within 3 days upon delivery or frozen for 6 months. In some areas, it may be illegal to catch female crabs in order to allow it to reproduce, so it is very important to know how to distinguish a female crab from a male crab. Top 10 Website Recipes. The ‘True Blue’ program allows restaurants serving Maryland blue crab product to use a special logo in marketing or advertising the product. “When you go to buy a crab, flip it up side down,” says Rorapaugh. Read the Blue crabs - male or female - do you prefer your crabs to have a Y chromosome? When it comes to lobsters the meat from the female is sweeter. King crab meat has a sweet flavor and delicate texture and is celebrated for its distinctive rich flavor. If you’re looking for some tasty, fresh Maryland Blue Crab tonight, check out our online store and get fresh Maryland crabs delivered straight to your door in under 48 hours! Rorapaugh says the crabs grow roughly 30 percent between sheds, so they’ll increase in size the later it gets in the year. A male blue crab’s apron is long and has a pointed tip, which is often facetiously called the “Washington Monument” by watermen. Snow crab legs are typically less expensive than king crab legs. The meat comes from two large muscles connected to the swimming legs. Dungeness crabs and blue crabs have edible meat in both their bodies and claws. Maryland Crab meat is lightly steamed and packaged in 1lb containers for the Best Maryland Crab Cakes. You'll even get B12 from imitation crab meat made from surimi -- more than 1.3 micrograms from 3 ounces. Each hard crab is delicately hand picked and then packaged right here in the heart of the Chesapeake Bay. Required fields are marked *, Cameron’s Seafood ships fresh, 100% authentic Maryland crabs, crab cakes, crab soups and fresh seafood to your door. They are found all over the western edge of the Atlantic Ocean and down into the Caribbean. “The darker and more stained the belly is, that means the crab has had that shell longer.” Recently the crabs have drifted eastward and have been found as far east as Florida! It is flaky and sweet, often compared to Dungeness or stone crab, though it’s darker and heavier in texture than Dungeness.The biggest market for Jonah crab is processors and food manufacturers that ”blend” the less expensive meat with Dungeness or blue-crab meat. Snow Crab These crabs can be caught off Newfoundland on the east-coast of Canada, all the way up to Greenland. Types of lobster include the American lobster, which is common, and Audresselles, the royal blue lobster which is relatively rare. The common fisheries for red king crab are Alaska’s Bristol Bay and Norton Sound. A 3oz serving has about 17.2 grams of protein, and a recommended intake for each day is between 46-56 grams. A heart-healthy diet is low in both dietary cholesterol and saturated fat. We offer fresh backfin lump, jumbo lump, claw meat, and cocktail crab claws. CLAW MEAT: Claw meat comes from the swimming fins and claws of the crab. In 2013, crab landings were valued at $18.7 million from Maryland waters and $16.1 million from Virginia waters. Backfin is finer textured than lump meat, but its flavor is similar. $8.49 at Sprouts Market. You can also identify the male crabs by … • Blue crab is larger than the red crab. On the Gulf Coast, "lump crabmeat" refers to jumbo lump, the nugget of near-solid meat from the backfin. Frequently Asked Questions. Blue King crab, a smaller version of the popular Red King, is delicious and vibrantly colored. This chunky, clean meat has beautiful texture, but only a hint of crab flavor. But when we gorge on crabs, we don’t really check if we are about to eat a male or a female crab, do we? This crab is very distinct when seen in the wild, due to its blue shell. Join the discussion today. Each container comes freshly packaged to lock-in flavor and freshness. What, then, is the difference between male and female blue crabs? Join the discussion today. Although still white in color this meat will be flaky and less shapely compared to the jumbo lump. To easily remember this, people liken these red tips to the “red nails” of female human beings. The meat is sweet and flaky, and is more delicate in flavor than that of the king crab. • Blue crab is popular as seafood but not the red crab. A female blue crab sheds its shell about eighteen times until it becomes an adult. Backfin - The swimming or paddle fin. Our experts are here to break down the best type of crabs to eat! The rear-most fin of the crab which has a flat, oval shaped swimming paddle. To easily remember this, people liken these red tips to the “red nails” of female human beings. The female, or hen, brown crab has a broad, beehive-shaped abdomen or apron, which fits tightly to the underside of the body; The meat has a more robust “crab” flavor and lends a unique flavor to your recipes. fresh crab, shrimp, sausage, new potatoes, butter, blue crab and 7 more Boiled Crabs rouses market hot sauce, yellow onions, small red potatoes, corn-on-the-cob and 6 more 875 Hungerford Drive Rockville, MD 20850   [email protected], Enter your info to see if we serve your area, © 2020 Cameron's Seafood | Website by PackageSumo. Your email address will not be published. Males also have broader bodies and more pronounced spines than females. As a mnemonic, people often say it has the shape of the United States Capitol. In addition to being wonderful stirred into a pasta or risotto dish, white crab meat is delicious cold (but cooked! The actual yield depends on the size of the individual crab and experience of the crab picker. This steamed delicacy requires preparation that is often intimidating for a first-timer. You'll even get B12 from imitation crab meat made from surimi -- more than 1.3 micrograms from 3 ounces. Interestingly, soft-shell crabs are in fact Maryland Blue Crabs. They’re caught with dredges, traps, and bottom trawls, and also as a by-catch on shrimp boats. The meat is a little less sweet and more delicate than the Maryland Blue Crab, but they’re tasty and a sought-after commodity none-the-less. A female blue crab, or “sook,” has red-tipped claws. The Perfect Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes. Maryland Crab Cakes or Crab Imperial mix well with the lump selection. With a hard-shell and five legs on each side, snow crabs have a nice, sweet taste. It is difficult to determine the sexual adulthood of the male blue crabs. With climate change, these crabs have been spotted recently as far north as Maine. Maryland and Virginia are usually the top two Atlantic coast states in annual landings, followed by North Carolina. Ballies - See Sponge Crab. See Blue Crab Identification for more information. Blue crab legs are so skinny and there’s so little meat in those short (relative to other crab legs such as Alaska King, Dungeness and Snow crabs) legs they’re hardly worth the trouble. These crabs can be caught off Newfoundland on the east-coast of Canada, all the way up to Greenland. Soft-shell crabs are perfect for those of us who don’t like creating a mess when we’re trying to eat. Jumbo. The blue crab can be tricky and messy, but some patience and the right tools will help you enjoy this dish with little to no problem. For years it has been an open secret that many “Maryland crab cakes” may be made Maryland-style, but not necessarily with Maryland, or even American, crab meat. Blue King Crab. Eating crab. White crab meat is sweet and more delicate in flavour than brown meat and it has a moist, meaty, flaky texture. Crabs range from mild sweet to a briny sea taste depending on the variety that is savored. The open flap is used to mate and to carry her eggs. It mates only once in its lifetime. An excess of carbs can make people feel tired and sluggish, so consuming blue crab meat is a great way to avoid the side effect of excessive carb intakes. BLUE CRAB IDENTIFICATION #1 Jimmy Crabs: The number one Jimmy crabs are male crabs that are full of meat and typically the most sought after crabs. Backfin - The swimming or paddle fin. Also … Bue crabs are famous for their delectable tender meat. Fred Baxter, Sr., of Mr. B's Seafood on Kent Island, holds a large crab (L) that displays the distinct blue claws of a male crab and the apron of a female and (R) a normal male crab. Males mate several times in a lifetime, while females mate only once. Super Lump: Small/broken “jumbo” and large flakes of body meat. Jumbo crabs … All About Crabs. Game Day Recipes. Crab meat is low in fat and contains around 340 kJ (82 kcal) per 85-gram (3 oz) serving. Although crab meat and shrimp do contain cholesterol, they might not have an overly large effect on your cholesterol levels if you eat them in moderation. You can identify the male crabs by the bluish color on the tip of the claws. The merus part of the legs of a crab is considered the tastiest. Transporting live blue crab … Our crab meat is packaged fresh and contains luscious chunks of delicious blue crab meat. On this page, we compare Lobster Versus Crab to see which food has fewer calories, less fat, more protein, and more fiber. Blue King Crab. They also take time to grow into their new shells. Meat from the male blue crab is sweeter. Recognizing Great Quality Crab Meat. Because of this, the more work you’re willing to do at home, the cheaper the price. Female brown crab. 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