We do love to be beside the seaside in good weather, don’t we? And one of the things we love to eat there is dressed crab.
It’s one of the traditional tastes of the British seaside. Now’s the perfect time to enjoy one of the fruits of our waters!
Did you know…?
- Crabs are crustacean decapods, meaning they have ten legs. The first pair of legs acts as the claws and these are called chelae.
- There are 62 species in British waters including the common shore crab, hermit crabs, common spider crabs, and velvet swimming crabs.
- Not all crabs are edible and some are also too small to make extracting the meat worthwhile. The most common edible species in the UK is the brown crab.
- 10,000 tonnes of edible brown crab are harvested from the English Channel annually. Choose pot-fished as the most sustainable option.
- The meat is an excellent source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, selenium, and zinc. It’s also low in saturated fat.
- Crabs can shuffle forwards very slowly, but they often walk sideways because it’s much quicker for them. Their legs are attached to the sides of their bodies, and their joints bend that way.
- Some have 360-degree vision.
How can we enjoy it this summer? Here are a few ideas…
Crab linguine – Add white wine, flat-leafed parsley, lemon, and chilli for a flavourful pasta dish.
California rolls – Make your own sushi with salmon, nori, sushi rice, avocado, fish roe, wasabi, and white crab meat.
Samphire and crab salad – Add samphire, lemon, dill, watercress, crème fraiche, and brown and white meat for a fresh seafood salad for summer.
Crab and saffron risotto – Make this with shallots, white wine, garlic, fish stock, saffron strands, butter, lemon, Parmesan, tarragon, and both brown and white meat.
Crab and sweetcorn chowder – With a base of leeks, carrots, potatoes, onion, and vegetable stock, combine sweetcorn and white meat and add in crème fraiche and chopped chives. Delicious!
Dressed crab cups – A simple but mouthwatering starter with Little Gem lettuce leaves filled with a mixture of white meat, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice.
Brown crab and garlic spaghetti – Flavour your dish with garlic, Parmesan, chives, salted butter, and thinly sliced shallots. Stir through your cooked meat and dust with Parmesan.
Take a look at the dishes we create from seasonal ingredients in our sample menus.
