Types Of Crabs
A Quick Guide to Types of Crabs
There are literally hundreds of types of crabs in the world. All of them have ten legs, the first pair of which are claws, although there are some crabs with only one claw. Here we’ll take a look at just a few of the types of crabs that live in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. If you live near the ocean, you can find fresh crabs to eat any time of the year.
The biggest crab population on the Atlantic Coast of the United States is the blue crab. It is found all down the coast, from Maine to Maryland, and as far away as the Gulf of Mexico. Blue crab is what is usually found in cans of crab meat. Down around Maryland and Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay is famous for its blue crab. The blue crab was accidentally introduced to European and Japanese waters.
While Jonah crab and rock crab were once considered pests and thrown back into the ocean, today the demand for crab is so great that they are kept and sold in restaurants and supermarkets. The situation is much the same as it was for Pollock among fishermen. Once considered a nuisance fish and not even kept, today all of the cheapest fish in supermarkets is Pollock, and haddock has increased dramatically in price. Likewise with crabs.
The Norwegian crab, otherwise known as red crab or Norwegian king crab, is the same as king crab from Alaska. It was first introduced into the Barents Sea in the 1960s by a group of Russian scientists. The king crab population grew so fast that in twenty years Norwegian waters were invaded. There is no natural predator so the king crab continues to eat fish and expand their territory.
In fact, the World Wildlife Federation is concerned about there being long-term damage to the whole ocean ecosystem in that region. It is also probable that these crabs will continue to spread, and reach Portugal or Spain. These Norwegian crabs are huge, up to almost five feet across and weighing over twenty pounds. Right now, the legs are selling for around $25 a pound but soon there many be so many available that the price will drop dramatically.
The Dungeness Crab is from the Pacific Northwest and is named after Dungeness, WA. It is considered to be the best of all crabs, and many feel it is in the same league as Maine Lobster. It is the sweetest of all Pacific crabs. The king crab meat has a firmer texture than the Dungeness. But technically, the king crab is not a true crab, but in a family of crab-like crustaceans. Snow crabs are tasty too but a more economical choice than Dungeness or king crab.
The most popular Asian crab is the blue swimmer crab, and it is related to the blue crab on the East Coast of the U.S. The Japanese blue crab is the crab caught in the greatest quantity and it is eaten throughout Asia, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.