Blue Crab Facts

Prized for it's sweet, rich and buttery flavored meat, the blue crabs scientific name is Callinectes sapidus meaning ( Calli-beautiful, nectes-swimmer and sapidus- savory).The tinges of blue on the dark shell and the blue patches on the legs is what gives these wonderful crab thier name.

Compared to King or Snow crab, the blues are extermely small averaging only 4 to 6 inches across. The claws on the male crabs will be blue, while the females claws are oranged-tipped. The male blue crabs are nicknamed "jimmies' , the immature females are called "sallies" and the mature females are refered to as "sooks".

Although found in waters from Cape Cod to the Gulf of Mexico, the majority of blues will be found in the Chesapeake and Delaware bays off of Maryland and Virginia. The same species of blue crab "sapidus" can be found in Central and South America.

Buying Blue Crabs

Blue crab is sold in many different ways. First you have the live which can be steamed or boiled and eaten right away or the meat can be used in soups or salads.

Softshell crabs are harvested right after the molting, these are best cooked by frying, grilling, broiling or sauteing at a high heat to crisp up the shell.

Most of the blue crab you might find will be already cooked and picked out of the shell for you. You will find cooked crab meat offered by Jumbo lump, backfin lump and claw meat.

Jumbo Lump is the premium meat from the blue crabs back section. These jumbo lumps of white meat are your best bet when the appearence of your crab dish is important.

Backfin Lump is the meat which is picked out of the backfin of the crab. Although still white in color this meat will be flaky and less shapley compared to the jumbo lump. This meat is great for crab cakes, or any recipe calling for blue crab meat.

Claw meat will have a brownish tint to it and has a nutty flavor to it. Claw meat is usally the cheaper than the lump and can be used in many recipes.

You can also find pasteurized meat which is firmer and darker than fresh crab.