Some General Information about Crabs

There are over 4,000 variety of crab from fresh and salt water, being the species from salt water more abundant. The most common crabs are listed below:

· King crab, also referred to as Alaska king crab and Japanese king crab, is found in the North Pacific and can weigh 10-15pounds. Its delicately flavored meat is snowy white and edged with a beautiful bright red, and it is an excellent source of high-quality protein, while low in fat and calories.

· Snow crab is found in North Pacific and Canada's east coast, measuring up to 3 feet across. Its flesh has a slightly saltyflavor ans is white tinged with pink.

· Blue crab is found in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico and it has this name bacause of its blue claws and dark blue-green shell. It is sold both as the hard-shell variety and as soft-shelled, being in the United States the blue crab mostly eaten in its soft-shell variation. Blue crabs are extremely high in vitamin B12 with just three ounces of crab meat having a full daily allowance.

· Stone crabs can be found from North Carolina to Texas coast and is most abundant in Florida waters. Only the claw meat is eaten, which has a firm texture and a sweet, succulent flavor. It is sold precooked and usually frozen because the meat has a tendency to adhere to the shell if frozen raw.

· Rock crabs and Jonah crabs both can be found on the northeast coast of the United States; rock crabs can also be found alongthe west coast. Their flesh is white, firm, moist and sweet.

· Golden crabs are found in the south Atlantic and in the Gulf of Mexico. Its delicate meat is white flecked with red.