FOOD NEWS
How To Pick The Best Crab Meat Depending On Your Recipe
By Betsy Parks
Crab meat can vary greatly in price and quality depending on how it's packaged and processed. There are different grades, so knowing which kind to buy can be confusing.
Jumbo Lump is the most expensive variety ($40 to $50 a pound) and commands a high price since there are only two pieces per crab — the two muscles that connect the swimmer fins.
Sometimes labeled as mega jumbo or super jumbo, its firm texture and sweet flavor are ideal for a raw bar or dipped in butter. Don't waste this high-quality meat in mixed recipes.
Lump comes from the body of the crab and can be mixed with pieces of jumbo lump. This meat is high-quality, so it's good for crab-centric recipes like crab cakes or crab salad.
Backfin is a mix of lump crab and pieces of white meat from the body. It's slightly lower in quality than lump but is still good for making crab cakes, quesadillas, and pasta.
Special is made up of small pieces of white crab meat from the body. It's the sweetest tasting and great for omelets and mayo-based salads, dips, and soups.
Claw meat is darker in color than meat from the body and has a stronger flavor, so it can stand up to other overpowering flavors, like seasonings and heavy sauces.
Claw meat is best for dishes like crab stuffing, hot dip with cheese, and cream-based soups. It's also the least expensive, so it's more affordable to pile into a crab casserole.