Tips to Buy Fresh Crab Meats

 

We can't deny the fact that today, crabs are more expensive than what they were used to before. Thus, it is important that everyone at least have some knowledge on how to pick good ones to ensure that we are getting our money's worth.

 

The secret to choosing good jumbo lump crab meatall lies in basic understanding of this crustacean's lifecycle. This is the crux that uncovers the mystery to why crabs turn out as a big disappointment even when they're solid looking and active when you pick it from the tank. The key here is to know the difference between old and new shell. Here are several things that you need to be mindful about.

 

Tip number 1. Color

 

New crab shells have a nicely shiny surface with bright colors as well as distinctive mottling pattern on the claws whereas older shells look duller and look weathered with scratches and pockmarks.

 

Tip number 2. Wear

 

Large molar of claw is a tell-tale sign of whether the crab's been eating or not. Newly molted crab have a molar that's well rounded while old shell crab has flattened molar. Smaller teeth in new shell crab should be sharp and chiseled while on an old shell crab, it would've been rounded and ground down. Mud crabs are using their craw to crush shellfish and left to slash into the flash. The most telling part that the crab is busy eating is by checking at the molar of the bigger right claw.

To give your more tips on how to select the freshest crab meat, check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_fisheries.

 

Tip number 3. Underside

 

The new shell crab's underbelly looks slightly blue and flat whereas older shell crabs look more yellowish and segments have a bulge.

 

Tip number 4. Abdominal plate

 

Among the most reliable indications that you can get fresh crab meat is by pressing on its abdominal plate. An empty crab have lots to give while meat crabs have hardly or have very little to give at all. This sign is actually the most reliable as the crab may have all signs of worn out shell but if it's kept too long without food, it'd start using energy stores as well as flesh will begin to weaken. As soon as the flesh begins to shrink, the way to know this is simply by pressing on the crab's abdominal flap and segments at the same time.

 

If you are after fresh crab meat, then make sure that you take these things into mind. Click here!