In the East Coast, wearing a Blue Shell, Super Crab Battles
a Far West Coast Giant, the King Crab!
These two giants receive acclaim from seafood fans all throughout the nation. Super Blue Crabs measure an impressive 7” plus from point-to-point on the top shell, while Alaskan King Crabs can grow to an enormous 8 feet from stretched out legs from the 3 o’clock position over to the 9 o’clock. Does size matter? In this case, it doesn’t. Marylanders celebrate cracking the entire crab for the jumbo, lump, and claw meat. Both jumbo and lump boast a salty-sweet taste with pristine, beautiful chunks. Jumbo meat pulls from the back-swimming paddle legs, so they have a denser, plump quality with full pieces. Lump flakes easily, but tastes similar to the jumbo. Claw offers the most robust, fibrous meat, perfect with seasonings. Conversely, Alaskans steam the king crab immediately after the catch and prepare only the legs and claws for the feast. The legs and claws taste identical with a briny-sweet flavor. Large pieces pull from the leg, which makes the king crab easy to eat. Both crabs do represent their best when they have matured to such a huge size.
Join the chefs to decide which crab receives your award for taste. Possibly, think of price. King crabs require extreme skill and agility from the crabbers in frigid angry waters. This difficulty adds to the price. Blue crabs do demand talented watermen, but with the plentiful supply all along the Eastern Seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico, the price falls to a lower amount. The winner may reside in which one gets the nod for recipe ingredients. Blue Crabs fill crab cakes, imperial, and chowder, while king crabs serve as a headliner in pastas, California rolls, and crab pho. Each one of these recipes uses seasonings to either hide or embellish the crab taste to some extent. Possibly, the best method is to taste the crab alone and decide. If you like sweet, go for the blue crab. If a more oceanic flavor suits your palate, enjoy the king crab. The choice is up to you!
