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eat crab

In sandwiches, with pasta, in salads, with chilli - there are a multitude of ways to enjoy this most versatile of seafoods. White crab meat (from the claws) rivals, or exceeds, lobster for flavor and succulence and needs very little fiddling with to create masterful dishes such as Crab in Ginger Sauce (see PICK OF THE RECIPES).

HISTORY

Crabs first evolved in the Jurassic period (the horseshoe crab dates back over 200 million years). They have been caught and eaten throughout human history.

BIOLOGY

Crabs are crustaceans belonging to the order Decapoda (which includes lobsters and prawns). There are around 4,500 species of crab, ranging in size from the 5mm wide pea crab to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span in excess of 2m.

NUTRITION

Crab is a good source of a number of trace minerals including selenium, which counteracts cancer and chromosome damage as well as increasing our resistance to viral and bacterial infections. It contains useful amounts of B vitamins, iron and zinc.

TIPS

BUYING
Purchasing a live crab will ensure maximum freshness. You can ask your fishmonger to kill it and this is probably more humane than dropping it in boiling water. Whole cooked crabs or fresh crab meat from a trusted supplier are perfectly adequate alternatives.

STORING
Live or freshly killed raw crab should be refrigerated and cooked on the day of purchase. Cooked crab meat will be fine in the fridge for 3 or 4 days and can be frozen.

PREPARING
Preparing a crab isn't as messy or difficult as you might imagine. Cook raw crabs by boiling - 20 minutes for crabs up to 1kg and 10 minutes per kg after that. Allow the crab to cool and then twist off the claws and legs. Knock the underside of the body on the chopping board and push your thumbs on the crab's back to prize the body section away from the shell. Remove and discard the stomach sac (just behind the mouth) and the soft gills (dead man's fingers) - these are readily identifiable and will come away easily. Use a teaspoon to scoop out the brown meat from inside the shell, not forgetting the crevices where the claws and legs join the body. Crack the legs and claws with a rolling pin or nutcracker and prize out the white meat using a skewer.

OTHER STUFF

Hermit crabs have a soft abdomen and make their homes in the empty shells of whelks or winkles for protection. The robber or coconut crab, found in the South Pacific, climbs palm trees to feed on coconuts.

Chitin (pronounced kite-in), a substance derived from the shells of crabs and lobsters, has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties and is used in wound dressings and burn treatments.

PICK OF THE RECIPES

in season:

january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december

main regions:

Pacific and Atlantic Coasts

ONLINE

• Crab in Ginger Sauce

• Baked Crab au Gratin

• Crabcakes with Horseradish Cream

IN PRINT

• Crispy Crab Cakes
  Dean & Deluca: The Food and Wine Cookbook