Brown Crab
Live
Every crab is at least the minimum weight shown. Most are heavier and the extra is free. If one ever comes in under, we refund the difference.
Whole crab is sold by shell weight; the meat inside varies.
Qty
Pay by card when you order. Your receipt comes by email.
Brown crab, also called edible crab, has a heavy, pie-crust-edged reddish-brown shell and large black-tipped claws. It lives among rocks and on the seabed and is caught in pots by local boats.
There are two kinds of meat: sweet, flaky white meat from the claws and legs, and rich, creamy brown meat from the body shell. Buy it whole to cook and pick yourself, as claws, as picked white or brown meat, or dressed and ready to serve in the shell.
Suitable for
- Boiling or steaming whole
- Crab sandwiches and salads
- Pasta and risotto
- Crab cakes
- Soups and bisques
Ideas
- Dressed crab with brown bread, lemon and a green salad
- White crab meat linguine with chilli, garlic and parsley
- Crab cakes with a lime and herb mayonnaise
- Brown crab meat on toast with a pinch of cayenne
How much to buy
One 1.1-1.4kg crab per person as a main, or 100-150g of picked meat per person.
Season
Crab is landed all year round, and the Cornwall Good Seafood Guide says it is at its best in the winter months when crabs are less likely to be moulting.
Storage and freezing
A whole crab arrives live: keep it chilled under a damp cloth and cook it the day it arrives. Keep cooked crab and crab meat covered in the coldest part of the fridge at 0-4°C and eat within 1 to 2 days.
Picked crab meat can be frozen for up to 1 month and thawed in the fridge, though the brown meat may soften a little; dressed crab is best eaten fresh.
Chef's tip
Mix a little brown meat into the white with lemon juice and black pepper for a richer crab sandwich.
Allergens
Contains: Crustaceans.
Product information
- Name
- Brown Crab
- Sold
- live
- Species
- Cancer pagurus
- Caught at sea
How ordering works
- 1
Add to your basket. Pick your fish and the delivery day.
- 2
Pay by card. Pay by card when you order. Your receipt comes by email.
- 3
Delivered chilled. Brought to your door in our own chilled van, never by courier, across Cornwall and Plymouth, Monday to Friday. Order by 4pm the day before.
Free delivery: Cornwall (TR mainland) and Mid-Cornwall· Further out: £5.95–£9.95, free over the zone's threshold· all zones
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Severe allergies: Our kitchen handles nuts, gluten and sesame daily. For severe nut, peanut, coeliac or sesame allergies we cannot guarantee a completely trace-free environment, so please tell us at enquiry stage. We will advise honestly, and we ask that the guest keeps any prescribed medication on hand.