You should discard the inedible gills, commonly known as ‘dead man’s fingers’. The former is easier to access and scoop out, while the latter has to be artfully teased out of the claws and knuckles and is sold at a premium. So what’s under the oval shell? Basically there are two types of crab meat: soft brown and flaky white. "So management often focuses on the ‘three S’s’ approach to manage themĪnd limit catches based on size, sex and season." Russia’s Sea of Okhotsk for golden king crab.īecause crabs are such opportunistic feeders and able to adapt to changing environmental conditions, they are often difficult to apply quotas to, says Hawk. A number of fisheries are currently in assessment, including one in Central Patagonia for Southern king crab and another in As of September 2021, there are 10 MSC certified crab fisheries, from Australia (crystal crab and blue swimmer crab) to Canada (snow crab), the Gulf of Mexico (blue crab) to the Barents Sea in Russia (opilio and red king crab) and Shetland in Scotland (brown crab).Ībout 9% of the global crab catch is independently certified to the MSC Fisheries Standard, but we can definitelyĮxpect more crab fisheries to become certified this decade, according to Marin Hawk, a US based MSC crab fisheries expert. Thankfully there are a healthy variety of different crabs available from sustainable fisheries around the world. It is eaten in tacos and empanadas in Central and South America (with red bell peppers, minced jalapenos and garlic), in maki rolls as sushi in Japan (with spicy mayonnaise, avocado and dried seaweed) and in pasta dishes in Europe (with anything from chilli and lemon linguine to an indulgent crab mac and cheese).īut if it’s being so widely consumed, how sustainable is crab? MSC certified Canadian snow crab and Russian red king crab, for example, are exported to China where they are cooked in a bamboo steamer or wok with ginger and spring onions and served with a rice vinegar and soy sauce dip.Įvery corner of the world seems to have its own crab dish. These luxury items are often imported and eaten on key holiday dates such as Chinese New Year, when prices for crab can rise by as much as 30%. A sizeable chunk of that crab is consumed outside the home at all-you-can-eat king crab leg buffets in restaurants, resorts and onboard cruise ships.Ĭrab is equally popular in China – the third largest importer of crab after the US and South Korea – which in recent years has seen a growing appetite for premium seafoods such as crab, lobster and oysters. But crab still manages to claw its way into ninth place on the latest Top 10 list of seafood consumption in the US, above clams but below catfish, at 0.52 pounds/236 grammes per capita. For many of us the answer might even be never. When was the last time you put crab in your shopping basket, in-store or online? Crab sticks (or surimi) don’t count, they’re usually made from textured white fish and starch.
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