Crab

Name: Crab — a ten-legged crustacean with a broad, flat body (carapace) and a pair of claws. The main eating types include blue crab, Dungeness crab, snow crab, brown (edible) crab, mud crab and king crab. The page under Shellfish covers crab from a food-safety angle.

Description

There are about 7,000 species of true crabs (infraorder Brachyura), found in oceans, fresh water and on land. Crab has been caught for food for thousands of years, and it is a luxury in many cuisines, with iconic dishes including Maryland crab cakes, Singapore chilli crab, Japanese crab sushi, and crab bisque.

Crabs are cooked live or killed just before cooking, since the flesh spoils quickly. The sweet white meat of the claws and legs is the most prized, and the body also holds soft, rich brown meat in some species, which is full-flavoured but can contain more contaminants. King crabs, despite the name, are not true crabs but related to hermit crabs.

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 saturated fat.

How best to be consumed

Crab is cooked whole, or bought as picked meat.

1. Boil or steam live crabs for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size, then cool and crack the shells.
2. Serve with lemon, melted butter or mayonnaise, or pick the meat for salads, pasta and risotto.
3. Make crab cakes, bisque, chowder or curry, or add to sushi and fried rice.
4. Pick the meat carefully for shell fragments, and keep cooked crab cold.
5. Use brown meat in moderation, and avoid it in people with kidney problems.

Overconsumption could cause…

Crab is healthy in food amounts, with a few specific points.

1. Shellfish allergy, which can be severe and is usually lifelong, so anyone allergic must avoid shellfish and check labels.
2. 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.
3. Cadmium, and in some species a toxin called domoic acid, in the brown meat and guts, so limit brown meat, particularly for pregnant women and children.
4. Spoilage and food poisoning if raw or undercooked seafood is left warm or eaten past its date, so keep it cold and cook it through.
5. Gout flare-ups in people with gout, since fish and shellfish are moderately high in purines.

GroupsCrustaceansShellfishCrustaceansHigh proteinLow fatRich in seleniumRich in vitamin B12Rich in zincFresh

Made intoCanned Crab Meat

Related foodsCrayfishLobsterPrawnsShrimpLangoustineCrawfish

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