In terms of seafood, crab is a huge crowd pleaser. Most people enjoy crab throughout the year without knowing much about them. Some crabs have long, creepy, spidery legs and pincers and other ones have little stubby legs that are not threatening at all. Whether it’s hard shell or soft shell, there are a few options that are commonly enjoyed in Maryland. With that said, let’s take a look at the different types of crab!
Delicious Options:
- King Crab: The largest crab species is fished from October to January in Norton Sound, Alaska, and the Bering Sea. Delicious, bright white meat, but notoriously difficult to coax out of the hard, spiny shell.
- Dungeness Crab: Marketed year-round, but harvested from late fall to late spring, from Alaska down the West Coast. Its taste is succulent, sweet, tender, and flaky.
- Snow Crab: Fished from both North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans through the cold months of January through April. A sweet, easy staple at all-you-can-eat seafood buffets.
- Blue Crab: Delicious salty sweetness, but only after considerable effort. Fished along the Atlantic coast, particularly the Chesapeake Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico from April through December. Blue crabs are usually steamed and served whole.
A Healthy Option
Crab meat is incredibly low in calories, and almost all the calories come from protein. Blue crab meat offers just 70 calories from a 3-ounce cooked portion. If you prefer Alaska king crab, the same amount has around 80 calories, while a 3-ounce portion of Dungeness crab contains nearly 95 calories. Roughly 80 percent to 85 percent of those calories are from protein. The final percentage of calories are from fat and a small amount from carbohydrates. Avoid all that butter or cream sauce to keep your calories and fat to a minimum. Just 1 tablespoon of melted butter adds another 100 calories, almost all of which is from fat, particularly saturated fat.
YOUR CRAB DESTINATION THIS SUMMER
Costas Inn has been a Baltimore tradition since 1971. You may recognize our restaurant, which was recently featured on the Food Network with Michael Symon on Burgers, Brew, and ‘Que! We were also voted the 2015 #1 Baltimore Seafood Restaurant by USA Today, as well as #1 Crab Restaurant 2014 in the Baltimore Business Journal. You may have also spotted Costas Inn during one of our 9 appearances on the Today Show or heard one of our many interviews on WJZ TV Channel 13 with Ron Matz and Marty Bass. You can enjoy our famous crab cakes in-house or order them online for anytime eating. We also provide some of the best seafood catering in the Baltimore area! You can also get your fill from Costas even when you’re not in our dining room: follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and YouTube!