What Does Crab Meat Taste Like? (Same As Lobster, Shrimp, or Chicken???)

I’m sure you’ve seen people cracking into some juicy crab legs on cooking shows, but have you ever wondered what does crab taste like?

Short Answer:

Crab has a very delicate flavor that is a delicate balance between sweet and salty with a slight taste of the sea. The meat is firm and juicy but delicate.

Crab is a very sought-after meat that can be very expensive, so it’s good to know what to expect from the flavor before you spend your money.

In this article, we will tell you precisely what crab tastes like as well as teaching you a little more about them and what dishes they work well in.

If you want to find out more, read on!

What Exactly Are Crabs?

Crabs are decapod crustaceans that live in fresh or salt water. They are shellfish with a hard outer shell, two large claws, and eight smaller legs.

There are a large number of edible crab varieties. They are eaten by people worldwide and are considered a delicacy.

There are many different kinds of crab, which vary in size and slightly in flavor. Some of the most popular crabs to eat are:

  • Soft shell crabs
  • Blue crab
  • Mud crab
  • Snow crab
  • Dungeness crab
  • Alaskan king crab

These varieties are not available all over the world but rather near the areas that each species is local to. This means you can travel around the world and eat different types of crab everywhere you go.

Crab is an excellent kind of seafood to add to your diet because it is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals. It is also low fat.

Boiling is the most common method for cooking crab, but it can also be fried or cooked within a sauce in a curry or stew.

What Does Crab Taste Like?

Crab meat is very delicate with a firm, juicy texture when cooked perfectly and the flavor goes right along with that.

If you are someone that shies away from seafood because of the strong, fishy taste then crab might be for you. It is so mild and pleasant that just about anyone can enjoy it.

The meat from the large claws is slightly milder in flavor than the body, which is why they are everyone’s favorite to fight over at the dinner table. These are often eaten with the help of a small mallet or nutcracker to get through the shell.

It is a particular and unique flavor that you can only truly experience when you eat it yourself, but in short:

Crab’s flavor can be described as the perfect balance between sweet and salty with a slight hint of ocean flavor.

What Goes Well With Crab?

image of eating crabs

Crab is super versatile meat used in various cuisines all over the world. It is commonly used in Southeast Asian, Mediterranean, Northern European, and American coastal cuisines, among others.

You can order crab already picked or order them whole to pick through yourself. Sometimes half the fun is cracking into the shell and searching for the sweet meat yourself.

Here are a few classic crab dishes from different cuisines:

  • Crab cakes- Picked white crab is mixed with breadcrumbs or potatoes to form patties that are crumbed and fried. They are native to the Pacific Northwest of the USA.

Get recipe: natashaskitchen.com

  • Deep-fried soft shell crab- These are a special kind of crab that can be eaten whole, shell and all!. These are battered, fried, and served with a dipping sauce. You can king a cajun version if this is Louisiana, USA.

Get recipe: cookingwithjanica.com

  • Crab chowder- A New England classic, crab chowder is a creamy seafood soup that is very comforting and rustic.
  • Crab bisque– The French have a slightly fancier version of crab chowder. Bisque is a refined soup made from the crab’s meat and a sauce made from their shells.
  • Black pepper crab- This is a very popular Singaporean dish that stirfries quartered crabs with chilis and a good hot of salt and pepper and other specialized Asian ingredients like ketchup manis.
  • Durban Crab Curry- This is a Malay dish from South Africa that cooks the crabs with spices like tamarind, ginger, cumin, and coriander in a tomato-based sauce.

Get recipe: curryrecipe.co.za

As you can see from this list, crab’s delicate flavor makes it easy to go from something as simple as a crab cake to a heavily spiced curry with ease.

They can be eaten very simply on their own or combined with other seafood and vegetables to create a more complex dish; either way, they’re delicious! 

Learn more: What to Serve with Crab Legs: 20 Ideas for Seafood Lovers

FAQ

Conclusion

After diving into the tasty world of this delicious crustacean, what can we say about their flavor?

Crab is: 

  • Sweet 
  • Salty
  • Slightly fishy

And it’s just so delicious!

Crab is a genuinely scrumptious delicacy that you have to try if you haven’t before. It’s worth every penny.

It goes with so many things; you’ll never run out of new crab dishes to cook! 

We hope this has got you enthusiastic about crab and raring to give it a go the next time you have a chance. 

Up Next: Can You Eat Crab Raw? Is It Safe? How To Cook Correctly!

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