lthough there are many different types of crabmeat available throughout the year there are only three kinds we recommend for consistency and quality. Luckily as these crabs are harvested at different times of the year, top quality fresh crabmeat is available year round.

The west coast Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) is at it's peak from Mid-December through mid-April. Dungeness crabmeat is excellent, our favorite when freshly picked during the height of the season. Although, during times of low production, packing houses will freeze cleaned crab sections to accumulate enough to make it worthwhile to call in a picking crew. After cooking, this crab will pick out dry and salty.

The blue crab, Callinectes Sapidus, is found from the Gulf of Mexico north to the Mid-Atlantic states in abundance. Blue crabs are generally caught in baited "crab pots" during summer months. In the winter, when they lie semi-dormant dredging is the common form of harvesting. The season for blue crabs may be open year round but we like the summer months when crabs are fat and the pot fishery has very little impact on fishery habitat. Blue crab meat is typically sold in one-pound containers in three forms; Jumbo lump - which has the largest pieces with little shell, backfin - Large white pieces of crab meat from the backfin cavity, the pieces are smaller than jumbo lump and Claw meat which is dark, sweet and rich in flavor. Excellent for soups, stews or crab-cakes.

The third type of crabmeat, from what we typically call Maine crab (Cancer Irrorataus) is probably the most versatile and consistent in quality of the three. If it is hand picked from the best quality, full, hard-shell crabs the legs come out whole and are presentable for salads while the inherent sweetness makes it excellent for crab-cakes. Lower priced crabmeat is often machine picked, so it is usually broken up and quite often has residual shell and fin left in. To get rid of the shell the crabmeat must be lightly washed, thus it loses some of its' flavor.

Some down east names for what we call "Maine crabmeat" are; sand crab, rock crab; quick crab, and eel grass crab. On menus one will often "Peek-e-Toe" crabmeat as if this were an appellation, actually this should be spelled picket-toe crab referring to the crabs sharply pointed toes which resemble a picket fence. "Peek-e-Toe" is just Maine speak for picket toe just as; "a-yuh!" means yes. Other names commonly used are reserved for times when watermen move to slow to stay out of the way of those razor sharp claws. Maine crabmeat is available from mid-April to the end of December.