Canned Crab Meat

Name: Canned crab meat — cooked, picked crab meat sold in cans or pasteurised tubs. Types include lump, backfin, claw and special grades, mostly from blue crab, Dungeness crab or Asian swimming crab, with a sweet, delicate flavour.

Description

Canned crab has been produced since the late 19th century, when canning began to carry seafood to inland markets, and it is still a major product in Southeast Asia, the United States and Canada. Pasteurised crab in tubs is sold chilled and is fresher-tasting than shelf-stable canned crab, which has a firmer, saltier taste.

The grades differ by the part of the crab: lump meat is large pieces from the body, claw meat is darker and stronger tasting, and flake is smaller pieces. Crab meat is used in crab cakes, salads, dips, soups and sushi, and is more affordable than fresh crab.

Main nutrition value

Crab meat is a lean source of high-quality protein, and provides vitamin B12, zinc, copper, selenium and omega-3 fats, with little fat overall.

How best to be consumed

Canned crab meat is ready to eat, and best handled gently.

1. Drain well, and pick through for any bits of shell before using.
2. Fold gently into crab cakes with breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, mustard and herbs, to keep the lumps intact.
3. Mix into salads, sandwiches, pasta and dips, or add to soups and bisques.
4. Use lump crab for dishes where its texture shows, and claw meat for stronger flavours.
5. Keep tubs refrigerated, and use within a few days of opening.

Overconsumption could cause…

Canned crab meat is healthy in food amounts.

1. Shellfish allergy, which can be severe and is usually lifelong, so anyone allergic must avoid shellfish and check labels.
2. High salt (sodium), which can raise blood pressure over time, so choose no-added-salt or low-sodium cans where you can and rinse before eating.
3. Dietary cholesterol, which is higher in shellfish than most fish, although current evidence suggests it affects blood cholesterol less than saturated fat does for most people, and shellfish are low in saturated fat.
4. Shell fragments in poorly picked meat.
5. Added mayonnaise, butter and breading in crab cakes and dips.

GroupsCanned FishCrustaceansHigh proteinLow fatRich in seleniumRich in vitamin B12Rich in zincCanned

Made fromCrab

Related foodsCanned TunaCanned SalmonCanned MackerelCanned SardinesCanned AnchoviesCanned Herring

Wikipedia — Crab meat, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_meat