I feel like I am well qualified to claim that this is one of the best collections of crab recipes that you will find.
I have been a proud Marylander that picked his first steamed blue crab before I could walk.
For me blue crab is the best crab and though I do enjoy king, snow, and Dungeness crab from time to time nothing beats the flavor and versatility of blue crabs.
Steamed Crabs 101
What Makes Crabmeat So Amazing?
Crabmeat is low in calories and fat making it a great protein choice for pescetarians as well as carnivores.
This collection will give you plenty of inspiration on the many different ways crabmeat can be used in different recipes.
Crab Cakes and Crab Imperial
Crab cakes are the most iconic recipe for crab lovers and every restaurant in Maryland claims to have the best crab cakes around.
If you find bell peppers or chopped celery in your crab cake that is a huge red flag.
No god-fearing Marylander I know would put peppers in a crab cake and neither should you!
Crab Cakes can be made with jumbo lump but will cost you a small fortune. I prefer a blend of crabmeat to give the crab cake more flavor as well as lower the cost.
Different Types of Crabmeat:
Colossal Crabmeat: Massive jumbo lump crab from only extra-large crabs. This is the most expensive crabmeat and is mostly used for crab cocktail or chilled preparations. $$$$$
Jumbo Lump Crabmeat: this is the most prized bite of crab for most people as their meat is harvested whole from the backswimmer legs. Used in chilled preparations and in high-end crab cakes. $$$$
Lump Crabmeat: Smaller broken pieces of the jumbo lump as well as other pieces of crab from the body. Great for crab cakes, salads, and pasta dishes. $$$
Special/ Backfin Crabmeat: The most versatile crabmeat special is small shredded white crabmeat from the body. Great for crab cakes, stuffing, salads, and soups. $$
Claw Crabmeat: This meat is darker in color and the strongest flavored meat of the crab. Claw meat has a sweeter flavor than other crabmeat making it perfect for enhancing any crab recipe. Though not a stand-alone ingredient claw makes for a great supporting cast member for crab cakes, soups, and other recipes with crab. $
Crab Soup, Appetizers and More
Helpful Tips For Buying Crabmeat
Here is a list of quick tips to help you buy the right type of crabmeat for your recipes.
- Only buy fresh crab meat if you are using it in the next 48 hours.
- US crabmeat will tend to be fresher than foreign crabmeat.
- When making crab cakes use a blend of jumbo lump with claw or backfin to save money.
- Pasteurized crab meat is great for crab recipes where the crab meat is mixed with other ingredients like guacamole, crab cakes, quesadillas, or pasta.
- for more information on picking crabmeat check out this great article:
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