Female Blue Crabs ~ All the Bennies!

Each week we get female crab fans asking if we caught any fresh pots of the red-tipped crustacean. Catching them is tricky since our goal is to keep to sustainability standards. Over-crabbing, or potting sponge females, fertilized females with an apron-filled egg pouch can cause the whole industry to sink! Crab feasts, however, normally serve male crabs for the jumbo size and a flakier meat, perfect for a butter dipping. The die-hard “Sook” or female lovers still crave the crab with denser meat. In fact, many chefs choose sook meat since it packs better for crab cakes. It’s all about the “bennies.” The female craze flows from all different directions, not just texture. Let’s crack this preference!

First, many fans say females taste sweeter, which makes sense with the denser meat. The salt in the brackish water has less chance to permeate the meat in the crab. Naturally, the meat will taste less salty with an enhanced succulent crab taste. Since females stop growing at maturity, they fill their shells with more meat. Packed to the gills! Yes, female crabs don’t reach maximum point-to-point sizes as the male, but they do offer a “must try” taste.

Secondly, some caught females contain roe, a sort of caviar for the feaster. Once you notice a crab that contains crab eggs, be sure to immediately take the crab to an ultra-cold cooler. Temperatures around 40 degrees F are necessary to keep the roe from spoiling. This benefit will add to your recipe creations. Remove the roe with these easy steps:

Step 1) Place the female crab in ice water, about ¼ deep and add ice. Take a knife and cut the carapace or main shell in half. Pull up on the top shell and notice the bright orange “jelly” substance. It’s indeed crab eggs. If you don’t see any. This female wasn’t at the egg stage.

2) Spoon out the roe and place it on ice.

3) Go ahead and finish “cleaning” the crab by scraping away the feathery gills. Snap off the mouth portions and then pull up on the apron and wipe away all the mustard. This isn’t fat, but a filtering system that cleans impurities from the water. Don’t eat this since it may contain harmful chemicals, depending on the waters you caught your crabs.

4) Lastly, cook or steam your crabs, but what about the shells and roe? The shells will create an amazing crab stock, while the roe can embellish a cream of crab soup like no one’s business!