Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Fun Facts About Seafood: Why You Should Buy Dungeness Crab

Is there anything more delectable than the sweet, melt-in-your-mouth meat of the Dungeness crab? Once known as Metacarcinus magister – the great crab – Dungeness crab is the traditional symbol for the astrological sign, Cancer. It is also commonly considered to be the most delicious of all the crab species. Next time you decide to buy Dungeness crab, here are a few interesting facts to sprinkle into your conversation with the fishmonger or chat about over dinner.
It’s a Male
If that Dungeness crab is on your plate, it’s very probably a male. In most states, it’s illegal to harvest female Dungeness crab to help keep the population of crab stable. How do you tell a male from a female Dungeness crab? Flip it over and check out its underside. A female crab will have a fairly wide, oval abdomen, while a male’s abdomen will be narrow and triangular.
It’s a Left Coaster
Dungeness crabs are found along the Pacific Coast of the United States, where they are among the most important commercial shellfish. Fishermen have occasionally found stray Dungeness in the Atlantic Ocean, but no one is quite sure how they got there. Scientists suspect that they may be bought live from an online seafood market and then released into the ocean. If you buy Dungeness crab live, it’s not a good idea to introduce it into your local waters because it could pose a hazard to local crabs.
Only About a Quarter of a Crab’s Weight is Meat
When you buy Dungeness crab, only about one-fourth of its weight is edible meat. The rest is shell and other unpalatable body parts.
If You Love Fresh Dungeness Crab, You’ve Got a Lot of Company
The average annual harvest of live Dungeness crab along the entire Pacific Coast ranges between 35 and 55 million pounds. That’s a LOT of succulent goodness.
Dungeness Crabs Change Their Clothes Frequently
In the first two years, young Dungeness crab can go through several shells a year. Eventually, they slow down and only molt – shed their shell and grow a new one – once a year, generally growing as much as an inch in size.
You Can Buy Dungeness Crab Anywhere
You no longer have to live on the West Coast to enjoy fresh Dungeness crab. These days, you can order seafood online, including whole Dungeness crab and live Dungeness crab, and have it delivered right to your door.

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