crosmaryland.blogg.se - Blue crab roll

Blue crab roll full#
Blue crab roll crack#

However, trawling methods push sand into the crab body, leading to an inferior product, so are not widely employed. Because of this, blue crabs caught using a crab trap or crab pot receive the lesser but still acceptable designation of a “good alternative” when choosing your next seafood meal.Ī portion of the commercial crab supply in the south comes as by-catch from shrimping. Seafood Watch rates blue crabs caught with a trotline a “best choice.” Although crab traps catch few fish, they do sometimes trap Diamondback Terrapins. Organizations such as The Chesapeake Bay Program carefully monitor crab populations to inform regulations and commercial and recreational crabbing quotas to ensure the sustainability of the fishery.Ĭrabbing, whether commercial or recreational, is mostly done using very low impact methods. The crab population is affected by several different factors including water quality, habitat, harvest pressure and natural predation. Use it in soups and dips where big hunks of meat aren’t necessary. Not quite as sweet as the lump and backfin, it’s still very tasty. Claw meat: This is your finely textured meat that has been gleaned from the claws.Large hunks of sweet meat are fantastic in all your recipes. Back fin: This is great crabmeat harvested from the back part of the shell where it joins the last fin claws.Be careful when preparing your recipe to keep the big pieces of meat intact. Use this in recipes, such as crab cakes, that are going to show off the big, pearly nuggets of buttery meat. Imported crabmeat is not sustainably produced and is labeled by Seafood Watch as a product to avoid.Īlways look for domestic crabmeat.

When shopping for crabmeat, beware that imported species are often sold as “Blue Crab” meat but are a different species. Then enjoy it all kinds of crab recipes, such as cakes, dip and soup. You want to factor about 1/3 to 1/4 pound of crabmeat per person. Crabmeat is a delicacy and you can expect to pay quite dearly for it, particularly the increasingly rare freshly steamed, hand-picked meat. Not up for picking? You can buy fresh crabmeat in-season and pasteurized canned or frozen crab meat out of season. Six is a safer bet (you can always pick the meat, refrigerate it and enjoy it tomorrow). You want to buy at least four to five crabs per person. These are a less expensive option if you are looking for more of a bargain, but the picking will be long and tedious.

Number twos: Smaller crabs, maybe a mix of female and male crabs if state regulations allow for the harvest of females.

Number ones: The largest, meatiest males, and the ones you want to steam.

You’ll be paying top dollar for fewer crabs than you would get in a nice heavy bushel and the wrestling will leave you with a lot of detached claws.)Ĭrabs are sold in the following classifications: A “light” bushel of ill-packed crabs will have fewer crabs in the container and the extra space will allow them room to fight, which they will certainly do. The crabs should have their claws folded under them and they should be snuggly layered into the balsa wood bushel crate with the lid tightly latched. (Pro tip: when buying crabs by the bushel, make sure that the bushel has been packed well. The number of crabs in a bushel will depend on their size but should be about six to seven dozen. The seasoned crab eater uses just a crab or butter knife to quickly and cleanly break through claws with a swift wrap of the heal of their hand and then use the blade to pry open the shell and extract every tasty shred of good meat.īlue crabs are generally sold by the dozen or the bushel.

Blue crab roll full#

Mallets are cute on the table and make a satisfying “whack” when you mash your crab, but using one often crushes the claws and shell leaving the meat full of shrapnel.

Blue crab roll crack#

There are two ways to crack crabs - with a wooden crab mallet or with a knife.

You can identify a female crab by its broad apron and “ painted nails,” as their red-tipped claws are called. However, to support population growth, it is often illegal or at least discouraged to take female crabs in many fisheries.

Female crabs are fattier and are preferred for soup.You can tell a male blue crab by its “apron,” the underbelly shell of the crab, which is narrow compared to the female’s. Male crabs are meatier and are the preferred crab for steaming.That’s the time that eaters can enjoy the cleaned, often pan-fried crustacean, shell and all, for a very limited time.

The molting happens most often in the spring making soft-shelled crabs a seasonal menu favorite. Crabs that have recently molted and left their hard shell to grow a new one are called “soft-shelled” crabs.