Types Of Crab And Regional Flavor

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Published: August 18, 2006

• Alaskan Bairdi - Also known as snow crab the snowy white meat is sweet and delicate.

• Blue Crab – Hails from the East Coast. Blue crab is typically the type of crab that is used when a restaurant is serving a soft shell crab entree. Blue crab will turn reddish in color when cooked. Blue crab meat is sweet and quite popular .

• Dungeness Crab – Found on the West Coast in the water from Alaska down through the U.S. and reaching as far as Baja, Mexico. Sweet in flavor, only male dungeness crabs are harvested and only during the winter months.

• Horseshoe Crab – This crab produces a small amount of meat. It is found along the Atlantic Coast from the U.S. up to Canada. Also found along the Asian coast of Japan stretching down to India. Best used in recipes.

• Jonah Stone Crab - Found in the northern Atlantic water between Nova Scotia and North Carolina. Jonah Stone crabs can also be found near Bermuda. The meat is flaky, sweet and snowy white.

• King Crab – Large in size this crab is also referred to as Alaskan King Crab or Japanese Crab. Only males can be harvested. King Crab meat is snowy white, firm and sweet. Found in the cold northern Pacific this crab can be extremely large in size. Legs can be as long as a human arm.

• Peekytoe Crab – Also known as bay crab or rock crab and comes from Maine. The meat is pink and sweet.

• Rock Crab – A type of crab that lives in the deep water of the Atlantic between the rocks. Rock Crabs can also be referred to as spider crab, snow crab, tanner, and queen crab. Sweet in flavor.

• Stone Crab – Hard claws containing flavorful meat. Claws are actually the only part of the crab that is used. Firm in texture. Sweet in flavor. A form of stone crab that is commonly found in restaurants is Florida Stone Crab which lives in the southern Atlantic water and the Gulf of Mexico.

When ordering crab in a seafood restaurant you may encounter an overwhelming number of selections of crab that are available. To narrow down the selection you should first decide what you can afford. Some selections of crab can be quite expensive. Also, ensure proper crab etiquette when dining out to not offend others and remember to pair the entree with a nice glass of white wine.