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spider crabs

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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M

mirror

Well-Known Member
Aug 15, 2010
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After a recent trip to France i was amazed at the number of spider crabs for sale in fishmongers and their popularity, so on my return i collected a few from the south Devon coast near to where i live to try them ,i collected large male crabs, with big claws , the only worthwhile meat is in the legs ,after cooking they were really tasty, just as good as other crab, they are very abundant around here at this time of year but hardly eaten locally,however i have seen a lot being loaded on lorries destined for the continent and after further research found out that they make up about 30% of all crustacean landings in this area almost all for export ,i was wondering if any other spearos eat them regularly ,i know they are not exactly a sporting challenge to a dedicated spearo but they are a tasty ,easy ,seasonal, sustainable ?,bonus to anyone who likes sea food , and crab is a pretty costly delicacy , and potters i have spoken to find them a nuisance as they take their pot bait ,but are not often kept for market so no conflict with potters ! i often see them near pots as they are drawn to the bait .
 
Hi Mirror, spiders are an important commercial catch for many of the big offshore potting boats but like all creatures of the sea they are in severe decline compared to years gone by.
When I was a lad, spiders were so common in the spring that the sea bed would be paved by them.
You can find lots of info by using the search button - here is a fun thread http://forums.deeperblue.com/beginner-hunting/78279-catching-spider-crabs.html
 
We love them, but only spearo's I know like them!

We have a small fishery for them in Ireland and it is 100% exported to france...what a shame
 
thanks to FOXFISH for the link to catching spider crabs ,however after reading all the info,and my own experience it really is only worth keeping claws and largest front legs from bigger males for eating,it is not worth cooking the whole crab and picking out every morsel and having so much waste to dispose of at home! it may be against the morals of some to kill a creature just for its legs .but i will only have a few at this time of year whilst they are plentiful and at their best !
 
I've found that it's best to collect only males of about 3lb upwards. Once they get this size there's a load of meat to be had in the body and in all the legs. With a bit of practice and the right technique it isn't that difficult to get it out.

Things I've learned...

Remove the legs working from the back of the crab towards the front so that the knuckle joints come off with the legs.

Start at the fat end of the legs bending each section away from the next and most of the meat will come out in nice chunks.

Once you've done the legs the body meat comes out quite easily working from outside and inside.
 
Here is my technique - cook the crab (male 3lb +) for about 2 mins per lb actual boiling time, remove shell, remove all legs & claws, cut through body with kitchen scissors to leave the substantial leg sockets.
Crack all legs with a wooden mallet (or back of big knife), make a mix of chopped garlic, ginger, chilli, kaffiar lime leaves, a tbs of dark sugar & veg oil.
Chuck all ingredients into a big wok for a few min & add loads of coriander & basil - then get your fingers sticky with a few friends...
 
Reactions: Spiderman
I have been told by several sources that there is meat in side the shell where the legs join the body , but after a few "autopsies " still dont think it is worth the effort ,and a potter i spoke to says if the crab dies before cooking it is the stuff within the shell that goes off (in his words ,brains,guts and stuff) but the relatively pure white meat in legs will stay fresh for longer if isolated , it is difficult to compare the waste to meat ratio on any crabs or seafood,but i wonder how much is left over from butchering a cow for example !
 
mirror said:
i wonder how much is left over from butchering a cow for example !
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Cattle typically kill out at just over 50% meat (I used to be a farmer) which is a lot better than you get with crustaceans hence the need not to waste any.

No need to worry about your crabs going off provided you look after them and it really isn't that difficult to get he leg socket meat out.
 
bobdonny said:
Karma is gonna bite you in the ass!
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Sustainability. Take only big ones, the others aren't worth killing. They look bigger underwater, so check again when you get to the surface & return any that don't offer a decent amount of meat. The meat is good, quite sweet. Perhaps nicer than edible/brown crab - less "crabby".

I've rarely found an appreciable amount of meat in the body though. I heard some say all the meat is in the body & others in the legs & claws. So, I'm wondering if females have the meat in the body & males in the claws (I too aim for the ones with the biggest claws - preferably 2 of them).

Or perhaps I just haven't found a big enough one - Spiderman has had some monsters. BTW if you are ever in Oxford, checkout the wonderful Victorian Pitt Rivers Museum. At the end of the main hall they have a HUGE spider crab, from Japan I think...even bigger than Spiderman's (if that is possible).
 
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The meat we eat from virtually all creatures is mostly muscles,that is why in the big claws on crabs there is more. I think the muscle inside the shell is what moves the legs and needs not to be as strong therefore large as the crushing power needed in claws ,last spider crab i weighed was just over 5 lb and very tasty!!
 
As with any crab the finest and tastiest meat is inside the body in the chambers that locomote the legs. Claw and outer leg meat is good--just not as delicate or tasty. It's also the most difficult to harvest out--hence the price. It's worth the effort. I suggest a small bowl of melted butter beside you as you clean the cooked crab. To hell with cholesterol count. Also remember that non-living crabs or any crustacian build up toxins very fast from bacterial growth. So cook'em soon allive or kill and clean and ICE immediately.
 
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Reactions: foxfish
Cant agree more

Heres a recipe I made for spider crabs. Tastes great


claw meat mixed with spring onions and chillis rolled in a pasta sheet.

Topped with Italian tomato and mascarpone sauce with lashing of cheese

mushrooms and chillis.


pop in a foil pouch and oven cook for 15 minutes then under the grill for 5 minutes



serve with salad and wine ( or beer and chips )

 
Reactions: Derekn, tonyeynon and DafyddRees
bobdonny said:
Karma is gonna bite you in the ass!

I recently found out that the most meat (more than claws even) in is the knuckles where the legs meet the body.... bloody goldmine in there!!! So well worth the effort!
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well,bobdonny your prediction of karma bitng me in the ass may well have come true(did not know ireland was budhist though !!! ) whilst entering the water next to Cape Cornwall,which is very close to Lands End,the water was a mass of loose seaweed and surf about 2-3 feet high,after struggling to get my flippers on ,without having weed in the shoe part i was bowled over by a wave and speargun was torn from my grip AND mask and snorkel off my head and they dissapeared into the seaweed and surf soup never to be seen again!!! ,i was very pissed off to say the least!!!! anyway just to tempt fate i have just had some more spider crabs ,from near Start Point ha ha ha ......
 
Reactions: bobdonny
bobdonny said:
I like your attitude

Hope your gear turns up!
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it is more likely to wash up on your shores than mine !!! it was a cressi geronimo 75 (unloaded )and cressi mask and snorkel, good luck (or is that the luck of the irish)
 
mirror said:
it is more likely to wash up on your shores than mine !!! it was a cressi geronimo 75 (unloaded )and cressi mask and snorkel, good luck (or is that the luck of the irish)
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Oh sweet, I have the comanche but really like the look of the geronimo.... cheers man :inlove
 
your welcome ,consider it entente cordial or the gaelic equivilant !!! actually i like elderflower cordial best of all ha ha .... i have got a beuchat now ,only because it was the first i could get.
 
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