Crab varieties

[markk]

Ever since I worked in a Chinese restaurant as a teenager and ate with the family, I've been a great fan of Blue Crab cooked Cantonese style with ginger and scallion. (I'd actually never had crab before - that was back in the 60's).

I've had another type of Blue Crab in Chinatown (much bigger - one to the order instead of a half dozen, let's say), and I've had Dungeness, but never actually King Crab, and I'm curious about this because I see them on sale this week fresh for $19.95 a pound. I know that this thing that's called "snow crab" is not even remotely edible - what's the deal on King Crab though?

Do people have experiences and opinions about the various crab varieties?

Also, if anyone actually can explain when Blue Crab season is, that would be great - we're getting them now (and they're great) and I didn't think this was the season.

[Hest88]

I"ve had Alaskan King Crab in Vancouver, steamed with garlic, and it's really scrumptious. Very different from the Dungeness I'm used to. It's a tighter meat, a bit more lobster-like. Definitely worth seeking out.

[kOffkOff]

I heard Crabs go really well with Chrysanthemum Tea.

Anyone heard about it?

[Susan G]

I've never heard of it, but I'm wondering if you mean crabs with chysanthemum tea as a beverage on the side, or crabs steamed in the tea?

[tissue]

I love crab. I've had this giant crab. The head is so big. The shell is stuffed with glutinous rice.

I've also had the albino crab from Australia, steamed with garlic. They usually split the long legs open for you for easy access.

Last week I had dungenss crab stir fried with szhechuan pepper corns and dried chiles. It wasn't really spicy but gave the sweet crab meat a very savory flavor. I think they fry the crab then toss it quickly with the pepper and chili, sort of a dry rub.

[Sandra Levine]

All other crabs aspire to be blue crabs.

[howard88]

Alaskan King Crab is among my favorites. Then again most varieties of crab are sweet and succulent. I have purchased pre cooked King Crab at Costco and it has been consistent in good quality and flavor. Also love Stone crab claws when available.

[jo-mel]

I like all crab. I've had Blue and Hairy, and both were wonderful. The large crabs I've had had all been frozen, and tasty when cooked, but I've never had them fresh.

The only time I've had soft-shelled crab, the crab shell was already being formed, so the experience was not the best, and I've avoided them ever since.

Coming from lobster country, I prefer my shellfish meat in big pieces, so my favorite crab is -----shelled!

[Gifted Gourmet]

Peekytoe crab in a salad: simply magnifique!!

[kOffkOff]

I've never heard of it, but I'm wondering if you mean crabs with chysanthemum tea as a beverage on the side, or crabs steamed in the tea?

chysanthemum tea as beverage to go along with a crab dish.

My bad for not stating clear :)

[tissue]

There is a shanghai dish of tofu braised with crab roe.

[kenteoh]

I know that this thing that's called "snow crab" is not even remotely edible - what's the deal on King Crab though?

Not sure if we're talking about the same kind of snow crab, but the one i had in Australia was anything but inedible.

In fact, it was really to die for. The flesh is very sweet and delicate, plus it's dead easy to eat. All you have to do is suck at it an the flesh comes off the shell in thin and very delicious strands.

It's some really good (albeit expensive) stuff.

BTW, does anyone here have a recipe for crabs with salted egg-yolk? Tried it in a seafood restaurant, was really yum.

Edited April 30, 2004 by kenteoh (log)

[aprilmei]

There is a shanghai dish of tofu braised with crab roe.

Yeah, this is good - it's made with hairy crab roe. They also make pea shoots (dau miu) with hairy crab roe and fun pei (mung bean sheets) with hairy crab roe. Actually, they've created many dishes to utilise the roe; the crabs don't have much meat. Hairy crabs are good but it's a lot of work to extract the best parts - but with this type of dish, the cooks do all the work.

I love Dungeness crabs but since I'm rarely in the States when they're in season, I don't eat them much anymore. In Asia we get really good Sri Lankan crabs (they call them mud crabs in Australia) - they're huge, sweet and meaty. I had them last night cooked with a pile of minced garlic and chillies at a place called "under the bridge crab" in Wan Chai (Hong Kong). In Singapore they're cooked into chilli crabs and pepper crabs - fabulous.

Another good crab that's best simply steamed and served with dipping sauce is "flower crabs". Chiu Chow restaurants serve them as a cold dish.

[hzrt8w]

Alaskan King crabs are the best in terms of the size. Just one leg alone can weigh up to ½ lb. They are expensive though, can cost up to US $15-$20 a pound.

Dungeness crabs are more affordable and go well with Chinese cooking styles. Ginger and scallion, or salt and pepper, or black bean sauce. All good. They are selling live Dungeness crabs at $3.99 a pound here.

Blue crabs are too “meatless” for my taste. A lot of work to peel the shells, not much meat inside.

Snow crabs are used in a lot of Japanese buffet restaurants in California as cold appetizers. I love them. I can eat 3 plates of snow crab legs just as a starter. By itself well worth the price for the buffet.

[petite tête de chou]

Without question my favorite crab is the Dungeness. A simple boil or steaming, sweet butter and lots of white wine...to drink, that is. When I was young(er) I actually plowed my way through three of 'em. God, the butter made me ill in the end, but what a luxury! I had a T-shirt that said "I caught crabs in Garibaldi, Oregon"... never did wear it!

[origamicrane]

chilli crab in singapore or malaysia nothing beats that :P

[Blue Heron]

For dipping in butter, I love King crab the best. For stir fry, Crab Louis salad or crab cocktail Dungeness is my favorite. And for crab cakes, I think Blue Crab beats out the others, although Dungeness is pretty good, too. But overall, I love fresh Dungeness the best.

Over the weekend I had some Russian King crab. Yum. Due to fewer restrictions and size regulations, they can harvest their King crab at a smaller size than the Alaska King Crab. My seafood manager mentioned the smaller the King, the sweeter the meat, and after sampling some over the weekend, I tend to agree. The downside of their harvesting small Kings and lax regulations is that I understand they are being over fished and their population is in decline.

[Ben Hong]

Markk, I have never heard of anyone calling the so-called queen crab, aka snowcrab, aka spidercrab, inedible. Are you sure that it was queen crab (Chinoecetes opilio) that you ate? The Gulf of St. Lawrence on the Canadian east coast is a major producer of the species, and the most common way to eat them fresh, if you are cosy with a fisherman, is just to boil them and eat only the claws, which are huge and long. Deeliciiiooouuussss.

[rlibkind]

The best crab is whatever crab has traveled the least distance in the shortest time from its home to my table. In Philadelphia, that means blue crab in its hard and soft shell states. In other part of the country, that would mean a different variety.

When it comes to crab, freshness is everything, even with modern refrigerated transport. Same goes for lobsters. No matter how carefully they are transported, nothing beats eating one just pulled out of the pound or, better yet, the trap.

[hzrt8w]

The best crab is whatever crab has traveled the least distance in the shortest time from its home to my table. .

In the Asian markets in California, Dungeness crabs are sold live. Each time I bought these beasts, I needed to battle with them to the slaughter, risked getting my fingers clipped off. These suckers are strong. Not fun if you ever get caught by their claws. The taste is excellent. Only second to lobster on my list.

[trillium]

The best crab is whatever crab has traveled the least distance in the shortest time from its home to my table. .

In the Asian markets in California, Dungeness crabs are sold live. Each time I bought these beasts, I needed to battle with them to the slaughter, risked getting my fingers clipped off. These suckers are strong. Not fun if you ever get caught by their claws. The taste is excellent. Only second to lobster on my list.

Put them in the freezer or fridge for a little while to calm them down. The cold kind of works as an anesthetic and makes them easy to handle.

I love Dungeness too...but while we've played around with chilli crab and pepper crab, I really love them best just boiled in salted water.

regards,

trillium