The Blue Crab

The olive green-and-white ‘blue crab’- so named for its brilliant blue claws - is a dominant benthic (or bottom-dwelling) predator in the estuaries, lagoons and coastal habitats of the Western Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. The blue crab is a 10-legged crustacean, related to the shrimp, lobster and crayfish. It walks sideways using its three middle pairs of legs and uses its sharp front pincer claws to defend itself and grasp prey.

The species earns part of its Latin name (Callinectes, in Greek, means ‘beautiful swimmer') from the remaining pair of hind appendages, which are broad and flat like paddles and make the crab a remarkable swimmer indeed.

The Process

Crabs arrive in a mixed box that usually weighs between 45-50 pounds from either Louisiana, North Carolina or Maryland.  The crabs are then hand sorted for size measuring from point to point:

o    Smalls < 5 ½ inches

o    Mediums 5 ½ - 6 inches

o    Large 6- 6 ½ inches

o    X- large 6 ½ - 7 inches

o    Jumbo  > 7 inches

The crabs live several days in a walk-in refrigerator and are steamed to order all being alive at the time of steaming.

Frequently Asked Questions

 Are the crabs heavy?

It is difficult to determine if a crab will be heavy after steaming.  A large portion of the crab is water and during the steaming process the water is lost.  Some crabs will feel lighter after they are steamed .Generally a crab that is very hard and dark on the underside is heavier than one that white and the shell is softer under the point

 Why do the legs fall off the crabs?

Some crabs already have legs off when they come to us.  When the crab is very lively they will loose their legs in the pot when they are steamed.  We will make sure you get all the claws that come off during steaming.

What is pre-steaming?

Pre steaming is a very wide spread technique for crabs.  The crabs are steamed ahead of time with out seasoning and placed in a refrigerator.  At the time of the order they are reheated with seasoning.  You can pick out the heavier crabs this way but at SomeFin Fishy we do not pre steam our crabs.

How to Clean a Crab

First, pull off the claws. Set them aside for later.

Next, remove the shell. Use a crab knife to pry up the apron on the crab's belly (a butter knife or steak knife will do), then insert the knife and use it to lift the shell, or pull the shell off by holding the crab in one hand and lifting up on a shell point. Remove the gills on both sides of the body and scrape out the body cavity.

Remove the legs and swimmers by cutting them off at the knuckles. Hold the remaining crab in your hands and snap the body in two. Then cut each body half in half again lengthwise. Use your knife tip to work the meat from the cavities.

To get at the claw meat, hold the claw in both hands and bend it backward to break it apart at the joint. Use your knife handle or mallet to gently break the oval shell of the big non-moving pincher. Bend it backward at the break to snap it apart. The meat will slip from the shell in one piece. If it doesn't, use your knife to tease the meat out. Repeat for the remaining claw part.

We hope you enjoy your crabs

Every effort is made that your order is accurate and on time

Thank you for your support