What Difference does a Crab Size Make?
What Difference does a Crab Size Make? (Read all about it.)
Most crab houses like to add creativity to their menu with “genuine” or “authentic” busheling. Trendy crab stickers, showing a bold blue crab just waiting for your feast, decorate the boxes. Blue crabs have feisty qualities as they search for their nourishment, so this feature makes sense. Scavengers by nature, crabs use their antennae to locate snails, bivalves, crustaceans, fish, worms, and any other sustenance that will give it energy. In fact they will even eat recently perished fish and juvenile blue crabs. With this survival drive, they easily molt in and out of shells to grow into larger sizes. Once caught, their eating journey is over, and the crabber grades them to a scale widely supported by Chesapeake Bay societies.
Measurements do matter, along with quantities. Compare and contrast the selections for the best price, most meat, and enough crabs for each person. Bay Crabs measure 5”-6” and include the smallest crab that’s legal for consumption. Consider serving a boil with this size. Sweet corn, andouille sausage, and garden vegetables will certainly complement the bays. Featured as the largest quantity selection, bays fill a half bushel at about 3-4 dozen. Jimmy Crabs, 5.5”-6.5” win favor from families who search for the large crabs for the adults and the smaller ones for children. Everyone feasts in style with the jimmies. Lobster mac-n-cheese and tomato and cucumber salad certainly get this party started right! Get cracking with a half bushel that boasts about 3-3.5 dozen in the jimmy choice. Jumbo Crabs, 6”-7” weigh the heaviest at more than one third pound and yield more than 15% meat, according to crab fans. What does this mean? More jumbo lump will pull from the back-swimming legs, mounds of flaky lump from the body, and impressive robust chunks from the claws. Jumbos serve as an entrée. You may want to start with a Maryland crab soup and serve seafood salad with shrimp as a true taste of the season. These crabs impress with huge sizes and include about 2.5 dozen crabs in a half bushel. Lastly, Female Crabs, 5”-7” include a wide variety from a quick bite in the smaller ones to impressive events with the jumbos. Many crab fans claim females taste sweeter since they stop growing at maturity and the meat grows denser. We challenge you to taste the difference. You have the chance with about 3-4 dozen per half bushel. Crab size does matter, so keep in mind the average crab fan scarfs down between 6-8 crabs, so count the heads and plan the perfect feast!
