What Types of Sea Crabs Are There? A Roundup of Common Sea Crab Varieties

Crabs have been a delicacy since ancient times, loved for their delicious meat. There are many types of crabs, mainly lake crabs, river crabs, freshwater crabs, and sea crabs. There are a great many types of sea crabs, the most common being flower crabs, swimming crabs, and mud crabs. Sea crabs contain a large amount of nutrients; sea crab meat is rich in mineral elements and vitamins, and has certain therapeutic effects on conditions such as high blood pressure and cerebral thrombosis. Below, let us take a closer look at what types of sea crabs there are.

The golden season for eating sea crabs is autumn; the classic image of holding a crab claw while admiring chrysanthemums dates back to ancient times. Sea crabs are at their plumpest and most delicious in autumn. Although this delicacy is irresistible, it is worth noting that sea crabs are a cold-natured food, so pay attention to cooking methods and eat crab sensibly. So what types of sea crabs are there? It is understood that there are as many as 200-plus varieties of sea crabs along the coastal areas of our country. Generally speaking, the sea crabs eaten fall into the following categories.

Flower crab

This sea crab gets its name from the beautiful colorful patterns on its back shell. Flower crabs are produced year-round in Hong Kong, China, and are true saltwater crabs, while flower crabs in summer and autumn are even plumper. The various bizarre patterns on the flower crab's shell are dazzling to the eye. The two sides of the carapace are pointed, and the edge of the large claws, as blue as seawater, is a deep red, but there is not much meat inside. Although it looks very beautiful after being cooked, it has very little crab paste and crab roe.

Swimming crab

As the name suggests, this crab's shape resembles the shuttle on a loom. This crab has an extremely high yield and is found in almost all coastal areas. Swimming crabs are further divided into many types, such as the three-spot swimming crab and the three-star swimming crab. Because swimming crabs are so abundant, fishermen along the coast, in order to be able to eat them year-round, also pickle them into salted swimming crabs, which gradually evolved into a commercial product. They are inexpensive and go well with rice, and people in places such as Shanghai and Ningbo are very fond of them.

Mud crab

Mud crabs have the largest number of diners in our country. Because they are produced where saltwater and freshwater meet, they are mainly produced in Guangdong and in the Hong Kong, China and Macao, China areas. Mud crabs are further divided into roe crabs and meat crabs. Roe crabs are female mud crabs, named for their very plump roe and paste; conversely, meat crabs are male mud crabs, named for their very plump pointed abdomen and pair of large claws, with distinctly layered crab meat. Any dish that calls for crab meat cannot do without it; it is a very appetizing food.

From the introduction above, we have gained some understanding of what types of sea crabs there are. It is worth noting that sea crabs are scavengers, so when eating them you first need to do a good job of dispelling cold and sterilizing them. We should avoid dead crabs and raw crabs. At the same time, special groups such as those with colds, those with gallstones, and pregnant women should not eat crab. After eating crab, iced drinks and cold-natured fruits should also be avoided, so as to be more responsible for your health.