Crabmeat Day

What the day is

Crabmeat Day is observed on March 9. It concerns picked crab specifically: the meat already removed from the shell and sold fresh, pasteurized, frozen or canned.

That distinction is the whole economics of the ingredient. Crab is not expensive because the animal is rare. It is expensive because extracting the meat is slow, skilled handwork that has never been successfully mechanized, and a picker produces only a few pounds in a day.

Origin and background

The origin of the observance is not documented.

Grades matter more with crab than with almost any other seafood, and the labels are consistent enough to shop by. Jumbo lump is the two large muscles that operate the swimming legs, prized for intact white pieces and used where appearance counts. Backfin is smaller broken pieces of body meat. Claw meat is darker, stronger flavored and considerably cheaper, and it is better than lump in anything highly seasoned, where delicate texture would be wasted.

Pasteurized crab, sold in sealed tubs in the refrigerated case, is heat-treated to extend shelf life. It keeps for months unopened and is a reasonable compromise, though the texture is softer than fresh.

Imitation crab is not crab at all. It is surimi, a paste of white fish, usually pollock, that is flavored, colored and formed into sticks. It is a legitimate product with its own uses and it behaves nothing like crab in a recipe.

How to take part

• Match the grade to the dish. Lump for crab cakes and salads where the pieces show; claw for dips, soups and anything with strong seasoning.
• Pick it over before cooking. Even good crab contains shell fragments, and one ruins a mouthful.
• Fold, do not stir. Crab breaks down into shreds if worked, and the point of buying lump is keeping the pieces whole.
• Season lightly. Crab is sweet and delicate, and heavy sauce is usually a sign that cheaper meat would have done.
• Buy from a region with managed fisheries, and check whether the source is local or imported; a large share of crab sold is picked overseas.