spider crabs

[F.I.sherman]

they look exactly the same as a king crab.so i think you might be suprised.

[BIGJOE]

Folks, I go back up to Avalon NJ on Labor Day.  I always catch a few Spiders in Paddy's Hole in the ICW, and will try steaming one up (seperately from my other crabs...) and report back.  If you get no report a week after labor day, assume I am dead and spider crabs are poisonous. 

Im still LOL

[Avalonjohn44]

I didn't catch any spider crabs so the jury is still out.  I'll be trying again in a few weeks, hopefully.

[Infish]

Tell the truth.  You caught some.  Took a good look at one and said "[Sam Hill] No!"

That's what I would have done.

[Rachel]

Well, just in case you do get one... this might help   

http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/divers/egg/thorel-crab.htm

[Crab Shack]

Well, just in case you do get one... this might help   

http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/divers/egg/thorel-crab.htm

No wonder everyone hates the french.... 

[Yoki]

Hi:

I'm just hopping in your discussion and wanted to tell you that the Spider Crabs in the waters of the Bahamas are delicious.  I have only had the claws and it was amazing.  I kept saying why don't most people know or want to eat this crab.  I guess it would be because it looks kinda scary.  It has those hairy claws like a spider.  But, if you can get past that, it is delicious.  Alot of people don't know to eat them here either, but the ones that do the divers know just where to go to make a few bucks!

[CSKIFF517]

Yoki,
If you read my posts on this you will see that I totally agree with you.  I catch the same ones around the bridges in the keys.  The claws are so declicous.  I posted several times that only eat the claws, but people just dont seem to catch on and keep talking about steaming the whole thing.  Oh well more for me and you.

J

[tattoo]

I don't know about eating those things, they are about UGLEY. Think I'll stick to the good old BLUE CRABS.

[crabbygramps]

In late 70s I book the whole Cousteau series deal. Almost an encyclopedia on all sea creatures. I think there were 27 books in all. Anyhooo it stated the one thing that all the crabs of the world have one thing in common. "They are edible" I and a companion sat up drinking one night many years ago, trying to get drunk enough to eat a "spider" who was in a pail next to us. Conclusion, There aint that much beer in the US of A.

[Black Irish]

In late 70s I book the whole Cousteau series deal. Almost an encyclopedia on all sea creatures. I think there were 27 books in all. Anyhooo it stated the one thing that all the crabs of the world have one thing in common. "They are edible" I and a companion sat up drinking one night many years ago, trying to get drunk enough to eat a "spider" who was in a pail next to us. Conclusion, There aint that much beer in the US of A.

hahahahaha

[Muslickz]

I gotta be honest, THE VERY NEXT spider crab I catch I am gonna rip the claws off of and try.. I gotta.. I would be so pissed. I lived on Long Island and the ritual there was always drop em on the pier, stomp on em and kick em back in near the traps. I would hate to think that I wasted all that crab. I used to get one's with HUGE Claws.

[dang]...

-Mus

[tattoo]

GOOD luck , let us know how it taste.

[onyme]

I lived on LI for 6 years without realizing you could crab here. Now I'm back after getting into crabbing into Charleston, SC, and excited about doing so. I love finding out about plants and animals that are readily available and taste great, but most others don't realize are edible (e.g., sea robins--delicious fillets; you just have to pick or cut the row of bones out of the middle of each fillet before cooking). So I've been doing some research on this "spider crab" question.

I've discovered that lots of crabs around the world are commonly referred to as "spider crabs." They all seem to come from the same family, though--the Majidae Family--including the (absolutely delicious) snow crabs (genus Chionoecetes):

http://fisheries.ifcnr.com/article.cfm?NewsID=576

From my research, the spider crabs y'all have been catching here are most likely either Libinia emarginata or Libinia dubia, depending on whether they have nine spikes or six (see links for pictures):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portly_spider_crab

http://www.gsmfc.org/seamap/picture_guide/Crabs/libinia%20emarginata.pdf

http://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=SC0019

Like the rest of you, I've had a hard time finding a definitive answer to the question: Are the spider crabs caught along LI edible? The closest I've come is the article below, where Dave Grant, the Director of the Ocean Research Institute in Sandy Hook, NJ writes in a field note that the spider crabs caught there (Libinia emarginata) are edible, but always thrown back or destroyed by crabbers. (He seems to not understand why.)

http://www.brookdale.cc.nj.us/staff/sandyhook/dgrant/field/Crab-pier.htm

Since he's a naturalist, I'm inclined to believe him. However, I've also emailed him asking which parts of the crab are edible--and whether he's ever eaten one himself.   :^)  If he gets back to me, I'll post his reply here.

See you on the docks and water this summer!

     --onyme (E. Setauket, NY)

[CSKIFF517]

GOOD luck , let us know how it taste.

   Ive posted four times in this thread how they taste.  They are absolutely delicious.   But only take the claws.  You will not be disappointed.  We used to do a dive in the keys around the bridge pilings just for harvesting spider crab claws.  Its like having a snow crab feast.   
J

[tattoo]

OK , OK, next time I catch one i'll try it I promise,

[CSKIFF517]

  tattoo you wont be disappointed.  And if you are,  you can kick me in the junk.

[SHELLFISH]

Geez! I've looked at Spider Crabs and broken open their legs to look for meat. All that is inside the legs are tendons and no meat! I see from the posts that the claws are edible and tasty. I'll try one also next one I catch. I wonder how the roe tastes?

[onyme]

As promised, here is the emailed reply from naturalist Dave Grant:

Food? The claws of larger males almost exclusively. Taken primarily by
immigrants (Observed) along with both sexes of calico crabs. Haven't ever
seen them sold on the market (Yet!) but it might be worth checking the
Chinese markets in NYC.

Most seafood tastes like butter or cocktail sauce (or both) to me! See recipes:
http://www.brookdalecc.edu/staff/sandyhook/dgrant/ketchup/index.htm

L. emarginata is our common species here.
It's a shame to waste any marine life; even bait stealers. Fishermen crush
and toss up specimens here too. And can dominate the local catch and the
bottom at times. These species are known to pile up into "balls" of
hundreds, although I've only come across it once here in Sandy Hook Bay.
Such events are reported from LI Sound too.

As you know these "spider crabs" are widespread and cousins of the
Japanese/Alaska king crabs. And edible crabs elsewhere.
See link:
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/spider.htm

I hope this helps.
Keep me informed.
Dave

[cw4340]

onyme great research the ones we catch in nj are portlt y spiders and i agree with bogman other then fertilzer for my mater plants theres no meat in claws and hardly any in body belive me if we could sell these things woo hoo cskiff you sure you wern,t diving rock crabs in keys

[Geckert]

OK Here is my 2 cents. I spent 24 years in Point Pleasant nj My whole family still lives there and I was younger once I have worked on and done almost every type of fishing available to do and I HAVE TRIED A SPIDER CRAB  I REPEAT I HAVE TRIED A SPIDER CRAB. I strongly do not recomend steaming the whole crab It is the most horrible smell I have ever cooked. I tried a leg but I think I may have been biased by the smell but they (it) was HORRIBLE not saying the claws could be tasty but not this day they were not. I used to dive the jettys and catch BIG blue crabs and lobster in the summer/fall but we decided we were going to try this spider crab thing it took some chemical induction to actually gain that much of an appitite and still nope never again.  By the way KING CRABBER if that t-shirt says Beaver dam creek Sorry but I must be the king since my family owns 4 homes on it and have for about 80+years I started crabbing there with my diapers as bait. LOL

[on the hook]

Hey Geckert, that [curd] on KC's back is Beaver Dam, the one down 553 near Dividing Creek. On the Del Bay, not Beaver Dam Creek. Plus, he aint seen the place in years!

[Geckert]

Gotcha [dang] I thought I could be king by default.

[onyme]

Thanks to the advice posted recently on downsizing pictures, I can finally present evidence of our spider crab "experiment."   

Went crabbing out of Captree in early October and kept the biggest spider crab we caught. Took him home and scraped most of the algae off -- it grows on the fine "hairs" that cover the spider crab's body -- so everybody could see how closely he resembled his cousin, the snow crab (see http://www.glf.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/sci-sci/crab-crab/crabwise-encrab_2002-e.html).

[onyme]

Removed top shell and guts, just like I always do with the blue crabs before I cook them.