The most powerfully flavoured crustacean in our collection of brown crab

If snow crab is gentle and sweet, brown crab is just the opposite: intense, briny and with a flavour that fills the mouth. It is the crustacean with character, recognisable at the first bite, and the one that works best when you want the shellfish to lead the dish.

White meat and brown meat

Like the spider crab, brown crab gives two very different kinds of meat. The white meat, from the legs and claws, is firm, fibrous and clean-tasting. The brown meat, from inside the shell, is creamy, rich and much more intense: it is the one that truly tastes of crab. It is worth checking the label, because some tins keep them separate and others mix them, and the result on the plate changes completely.

An animal with enormous claws

Brown crab has claws that are disproportionately large for its body, and much of its white meat comes from them. It lives on rocky Atlantic seabeds and is caught with pots. Cleaning a whole one at home takes half an afternoon, which is why the tin makes so much sense with this species.

How to use it

Natural meat is ideal for filling a shell txangurro style, making canapés or adding to a salad. If you have brown meat, try it on its own on a toast: it is one of the most intense things the sea has to offer.

Before serving

Room temperature. If you use it hot, add it at the end and off the heat: it is already cooked, and cooking it again dries it out. With a cold albariño or a cider.

If you are looking for other crustaceans, see our collections of crab, spider crab and lobster.

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