Tuesday's Cupful: Gettin' Crabby

Craving crustaceans, but what to get?

The crab is king for many seafood lovers. A visit to Maryland wouldn’t be the same without enjoying steamed blue crabs or authentic Maryland-style crab cakes. Here are just some of the different types of edible crabs found around the world.

Blue Crabs – are known for their beautiful appearance in the wild in the Chesapeake Bay and along the Mid-Atlantic on down the Coastal Waterway to the Gulf of Mexico. Their shells have blue and green colors. Maryland law requires that crabs must measure at least five and one-fourth inches across. Served steamed with seafood seasonings like Old Bay or turned into crab cakes.

Dungeness Crabs – are harvested from the shores of Alaska down to the coast of Mexico. Dungeness crabs can be as large as 10 inches across. Their consistently large size means more bang for the buck and or more crabmeat per crab. Regional crab lovers enjoy the crab meat dipped in drawn butter and lemon juice. Dungeness crab meat can be used to make crab cakes.

Spanner Crabs – also known as frog crab because of its appearance. These crabs are harvested off the coasts of Australia and New Zealand. There are restrictions against harvesting females. Their price is increasing since their popularity is rising with exports to crab hungry Asian markets. We’ve enjoyed the claws of steamed spanner crabs at the Taste restaurant in the Westin Hotel in Guam. At Taste, diners can pick their crab pieces with other seafood selections and have them grilled with garlic and peppers.

Spider Crabs – refers to several crab species (Snow Crabs, Alaskan King Crabs, Japanese Crabs) that have a similar appearance: small body, spiny or pointy shells, and long legs. These crabs are prized for their crab legs, which are often found at fine-dining buffets. We’ve watched crabbers harvesting Alaskan King crabs on the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch.

Stone Crabs – Floridians swear by stone crab meat. Only the claws (one per crab) are harvested and the crab must be thrown back into the sea. Claws must equal one and half inches or more in order for harvest. Don’t worry because the crab can regenerate a new claw. Additionally, the claws are proportionally larger than the rest of the crab’s body. The claw meat is enjoyed all along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida. Claws are served with drawn butter and lemon juice.