Live King Crabs

TASTING NOTES FROM THE CURATOR

The texture of Live King Crab meat is more delicate and softer in appearance compared to other crab species. Alaska King Crab also tends to have a unique “sweet” taste that is unlike any other crab meat. Often its legs are popularly used in a variety of dishes due to its thick meat content but the insides of the crab body, especially crab fat or as Filipinos call it, aligue, is just as sinfully delicious when cooked properly.

PREPARATION

A whole Live King Crab will give you all sorts of options for any occasion. Its meat can be used in a variety of dishes, including dips, soups, and crab cakes. You may also eat the meat fresh out of the shell whilst dipping it into a melted butter sauce or your preferred homemade cocktail sauce.

The Live King Crab’s insides of the crab body shell can have a number of uses. The white yellow fat inside the back of the shell is crab fat or aligue and it can be used to spruce up dishes such as fried rice or vegetable stews. The firm,orange-red crab roe or eggs can be used for soup. The yellowish part is the crab’s hepatopancreas or tomalley also known as crab mustard. In Japanese cuisine, crab tomalley is used as kani miso and can make a difference in a number of seafood dishes.

Match your chosen crab dish with a lovely bottle of your favorite white wine–Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or a Dry Riesling. You will find that drier whites make a perfect pairing partner for this royal dish so avoid the sweet wines or wines that may have the tendency to overpower the delicate taste of crab meat.

SNOW CRAB VS. KING CRAB

Both crabs are known for their legs, but there are distinct differences. King crabs are bigger than snow crabs, but the king crabs’ legs are shorter and their shells are tougher to crack. Snow crab meat is more fibrous, and easier to shred to pieces. Snow crabs are from the North Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and king crabs can be found in the Bering Sea, between Alaska and Russia. And king crabs, of course, are more expensive, owing to their short harvesting season and limited availability.

For longer storage, place the box container, with all its contents intact, inside your refrigerator or cooler at (1- 4 C) Fresh water will kill the crabs immediately so avoid washing them. The Live King Cab can be kept alive for 48 more hours if stored properly but it is recommended you cook and consume them immediately to ensure the best taste.