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Crab meat

Fish & seafood · Shellfish

Crab meat

Sweet, delicate crab meat, usually sold cooked and picked (white or brown); for crab cakes, salads and pasta.

Also called: crab

A kind of shellfish

3 recipes with it

Photo: Hans Hillewaert, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

What it is

This record is crab meat: cooked and picked from the shell, sold fresh-pasteurised, frozen or canned. White meat from the claws and body is sweet, flaky and delicate; brown meat from the shell is richer and creamier. Whole crabs are also cooked at home, but picking them takes time. Imitation crab (surimi) is made from white fish, not crab.

How it’s used

  • Crab cakes
  • Crab sandwiches and salads
  • Pasta and risotto
  • Dressed crab
  • Crab fried rice and soups

Characteristics

Taste
Sweet, delicate and briny.
Texture
Flaky and tender.
When cooked
Already cooked; fold in gently at the end so it does not shred or toughen.
Sold as
fresh, frozen, canned
Cooking uses
Commonly cooked, Usually eaten raw, Suitable for frying

Storage

Refrigerated. Keep chilled and use within a day or two of opening. Pick over for small shell fragments before use.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Crustaceans.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free
  • Contains crustacean shellfish, one of the most common and serious food allergens; reactions can be severe and also occur from cooking steam or shared oil.
  • Imitation crab sticks also usually contain fish, egg and wheat.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
87 kcal
Protein
18.06 g
Carbohydrate
0.04 g
Fat
1.08 g
Fibre
0 g
Sugars
— g

USDA FoodData Central: Crustaceans, crab, blue, raw.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

Related ingredients

Recipes with crab meat

More shellfish