Day Twelve - Crabs and Lobsters

Crab

  • Over 4,000 species

  • A very popular delicacy from the ocean

  • Found around the world in all types of waters

  • Popular culinary crabs

    • Dungeness

      • West Coast

    • Blue

      • East Coast

    • Stone

      • South

    • Peekytoe

    • King

      • Alaska

    • Snow

      • Alaska

Dungeness

  • West Coast specialty helped make S.F. famous

  • Incredibly sweet, firm meat

  • Found from Alaska to SoCal

  • Only males can be caught at a certain size

    • 6.25’’ carapace is the minimum size allowed for legal harvesting, ensuring sustainable populations.

  • The season is mid-November through July.

  • Live in sandy shoals and inlets.

  • Caught using traps and cages

  • Concern for Whale/Sea Turtle entanglement

Blue Crab

  • Most sought-after shellfish in the Mid-Atlantic

  • Destruction of natural habitat, pollution, and over-harvesting are creating declines in population.

  • Science is happening now to try to find ways to farm this animal

  • One of the few species that can be enjoyed whole in the soft-shell stage after molting

  • Males are called jimmies, females are called sooks

  • Colossal

    • The largest single piece of meat extracted from the body, used for upscale cocktails or in sautes, where its visual presence can shine in its presentation

  • Jumbo

    • Larger white meat pieces, perfect for appetizers or center of plate applications

  • Super-Lump

    • Excellent for crab cakes, salads, soups, and casseroles

  • Lump

    • Extremely versatile crab meat is excellent in any dish

  • Special

    • Blend of lump meat and shredded flaky body meat, fantastic for adding flavor

  • Claw

    • Processed from blue crab claws, this crab meat is brownish in color and slightly more pronounced in flavor and texture. It holds up well in cooking and is perfect for dishes that require longer cooking times, making it a great choice for stews and crab boils.

  • Soft Shell Blue Crabs

    • Highly perishable. Shipped live, packed in straw or frozen

    • Crabs about to molt are spotted, harvested, and placed in tanks where they are taken from the water right after molting

    • 5 sizes

      • Whales: 5.9oz and 5.5’’+

      • Jumbos

      • Primes

      • Hotels

      • Mediums: 1.8oz and 3.5’’

    • Harvest regulations are highly variable

King Crab

  • Largest of the commercially harvested crab - up to 25lbs with a 5’ leg span

  • North American waters, Alaska to BC and the Japan/Russia→Bering Seas

  • Sustainably managed fisheries from the crab rationalization program, addressing economic, safety, and environmental issues

  • October-January

  • Three main varieties. Brown, blue, and red

Snow Crab (AKA Queen Crab)

  • Newfoundland and Nova Scotia best

  • Alaska, Canada, and Japan harvest as well

  • Wide distribution in cold Northern waters

  • Limited harvest in Alaska based on size, sex, and season - sustainably harvested

  • Bodies small, legs long and meaty

  • Depending on the location, the season can be from Fall - Winter, and some into Spring.

  • Meat is not as sweet and can be stringy

Stone Crab

  • Gulf of Mexico up the Southeastern Coast states

  • Harvested by breaking one or both arms off and throwing them back to regenerate

  • October 15th - May 15th (Florida)

  • Sweet and firm meat

Peekytoe Crab

  • Bycatch nuisance of the lobster industry

  • Small crabs with sweet, delicate flesh

  • Found up and down the Eastern Coast

  • Hard to pick meat, but highly prized

Lobster

  • Two main culinary lobsters. Warm and cold water are found around the world

  • “Maine” or “American” lobster → cold

  • “Spiny” or “Rock” lobster → warm

  • Lobster farms produce good lobsters

  • Can grow quite large → 45+lbs

  • Min/max size and limits on sex (V-shape notch on tail)

  • Market size

    • 1lb → Chicken Lobster

    • 1.25lb → Quarters

    • 1.5lb → Primes

  • Missing one claw → cull lobster