red crab

There are over 4,400 varieties of crab. Here is a guide to a few of the most common, edible types of crab:

Blue Crab

Its Latin name, Calinectes sapidus, means “beautiful swimmer” and “savory.” Blue crabs are indeed a beautiful blue-green color, with large, bright blue claws. The blue crab is the most prolific species on the East Coast of the United States, particularly in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, where it is the Bay’s signature crustacean. Blue crabs also give us the soft shell crab, which is a blue crab directly after the molting process. Blue crabs range in size from 3 ½” to over 9” and do turn the traditional reddish color when cooked.

Dungeness Crab

Latin name, Cancer magister, this crab is found in coastal waters from Alaska to Baja, Mexico. Dungeness is a large crab, usually weighing from 1 and ¾ to 4 pounds, and brown to purple in color. The Dungeness crab is named for the former small town Dungeness on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state, which first began commercially harvesting the delicacy. The pink flesh of these crabs is succulent and sweet, making it an ultimate, desirable catch. Law requires the crab to be at least 6 and ¼” long to be harvested and only male crabs can be taken from the waters. Prime season for Dungeness crab is in the winter months.

Horseshoe Crab

This crab is named for its resemblance in shape to a horseshoe. Horseshoe crabs are considered living fossils, tracing roots back some 500 million years. It is found along the Atlantic Coast from Nova Scotia to the Yucatan and along Asian coasts from japan and the Phillipines to India. This crab is edible, however, the ratio of meat to shell is fairly small.

King Crab

This giant crab is often called, “Alaskan King crab,” “Japanese crab,” and “Russian crab” due to its size, which can reach up to 25 pounds and measure up to 10 feet. King crab has been made recently famous on the popular television show, Deadliest Catch. These crabs are large, but only about one quarter of the entire crab is edible, primarily the legs and claws. Only male King crabs are harvested. The delicately-flavored meat is bright, snow white with a bright red outer edge.

Rock Crab

Rock crab is found on the East Coast of the United States, living among rocks and in deep water. Rock crabs’ spindly legs make it resemble a spider and is also known as “Spider crab.”