Best Crab to Eat: Which Tastes Best?

Updated: February 26, 2024

Crab meat is tender, juicy, and flavorful, and is a fan favorite across the globe. With over 4,000 crab species offering a variety of crab legs, there's sure to be plenty to choose from, and creating a crab feast for your friends and family is not nearly as hard as you might think. Whether you like them boiled, steamed, or baked with lemon and butter, crabs are, in our opinion, one of the most delicious foods around.


THE 5 TASTIEST CRABS: THE BEST TASTING

Billy's Stone Crab operates two fish houses in Marathon and Summerland Key, where we catch, handle, and prepare a variety of seafood for customers to purchase and consume. From start to finish, each crustacean is handled by our professionals, and it's served directly to customers, so you know exactly where it came from. Our online store carries crabs of all kinds, so you can taste them for yourself and decide which one you like best.


Let's look at what we believe are the best crabs for eating and how to prepare them at home.


WHAT DOES STONE CRAB TASTE LIKE?

Stone crabs produce flaky white meat that's considered a delicacy, and they're the perfect meal to serve for a special occasion or a date night. They can be served steamed or boiled, hot or cold, mixed into a more complex dish, or served alone with a decadent dipping sauce. To boil them:

  1. Drop your stone crabs into a pot of boiling water and let them cook for eight minutes.
  2. Place them in a bowl of cold water for about eight minutes.
  3. Refrigerate your stone crab legs in a bowl of ice until they're ready to be cracked and served.

WHAT DOES KING CRAB TASTE LIKE?

There are many types of crab legs, but king crabs have the largest claws, making them one of the best for eating. Each claw is filled with a long, thick spear of white, sweet-tasting meat similar to lobster's flavor. The shells are difficult to crack, so it's best to use a cracking tool to get to the meat inside. To prepare king crab, boil them in a pot of water with a pinch of salt for six to ten minutes. Serve immediately while the crab legs are still hot and steaming.


SOFT-SHELL CRAB

Soft-shell crabs aren't a species of crab but are typically blue crabs that have recently molted. Before their exoskeletons have hardened, they're caught, cooked, and served, and nearly the entire body is edible. This delicacy is hard to find since they're only soft-shelled for a few hours, and their minimum supply drives a high demand. They're most often caught in the spring or early summer. Soft-shelled crabs are usually deep-fried or sauteed in butter for four or five minutes.


DUNGENESS CRAB

Dungeness crab is one of the best crabs to eat since it has large, meaty legs like King crab. The sweet, flaky meat inside one whole crab can serve two people, making it the perfect meal for a romantic dinner with your significant other. Serve the entire crab, boiled or steamed, with a side of melted butter or dipping sauce. Use crackers to access the succulent meat inside and savor the rich flavor.


SNOW CRAB

Snow crab can be boiled, steamed, or baked with a squeeze of lemon and melted butter. Their long, spindly legs may be difficult to crack, but the bright white meat inside makes it worth the effort. Snow crabs are one of the best crabs to eat since their white meat is so flaky and delicious. Use a cracker to break the outer shell to get to the long, thick spears of meat inside each leg.


BILLY'S STONE CRAB FOR THE FRESHEST SEAFOOD IN SOUTHERN FLORIDA!

Person Enjoying a Glass of Wine and Stone Crabs Waterside

There are many different crab legs to choose from, each offering a unique flavor. Here, at Billy's Stone Crab, we offer the best crabs for eating. Each crustacean is caught by our fisheries, prepared, and sold to you, where we oversee its handling from start to finish. Our online shop offers a variety of crabs and other seafood that you can purchase to prepare at home. 


Visit our market in person to select from an even larger variety of seafood that isn't offered online; it includes grouper filets, snapper filets, Mahi filets, oysters, clams, steaks, and more. 


To enjoy the best seafood in Florida, make a reservation at our restaurant, where we serve many types of crab legs. We'd be happy to serve you. Contact us today.