Last updated: 3 July, 2024 @ 18:15
With its spiky, armoured shell and spindly, stilt-like legs the spider crab may seem a strange choice for May’s in season spotlight – but if you can look past the crab’s out-of-this-world-appearance then you’ll be rewarded.
The spider crab, which in the southern parts of the UK will almost definitely be a spiny spider crab, and not its northern cousin the great spider crab, hit the headlines back in 2021 when it underwent something of an image change.
Research by the Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation (CFPO) revealed that the ‘spider’ element of the crab’s name was associated with ‘negative connotations’, and was therefore impacting marketing efforts and sales.
As a result, the crab was rebranded by the CFPO as the Cornish king crab (with the ‘unloved’ megrim sole also renamed as Cornish sole).
The majority of spider crab landed into ports in Devon and Cornwall is actually exported to Spain – which means we’re missing out on a product highly-revered by the Spanish, and we all know how good their seafood dishes are. Let’s set about changing that!
Preparing spider crab
Now, here’s the unpleasant bit. Crab, like lobster, is best bought live. This obviously means that at some point you will have to kill the crab.
Our advice is to treat the crab as humanely as possible. This includes storing the crab in a respectful manner.
If you’re not cooking the crab for a few hours then wrap it in damp newspaper and pop it, upside down, and place it in the bottom section of your fridge (the salad drawer is ideal – if large enough).
There’s some really good advice online regarding the best way to dispatch a spider crab, including this article by Seafood Cornwall (which is also a very good read), and this YouTube video by GSPseafishing – which may be unpleasant viewing for some.
Cooking spider crab
In contrast to the more popular brown crab, the meat of the spider crab is a touch sweet – making it absolutely ideal for an early-summer crab linguine.
This ‘ultimate crab linguine’ recipe by Lord Rick Stein is one of the best.
We experimented by replacing the lemon in the great man’s recipe with lime – and it’s truly fabulous.
To cook your spider crab, simply bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and drop the crab in.
Bring back to the boil, turn the heat down a touch and then simmer for 15-20 minutes (depending on the size of the crab of course). Leave to cool.
Once cool enough to handle you can start picking the meat.
The meat yield is slightly less than that of the brown crab, but the process of picking the meat is pretty much the same – as this YouTube video perfectly demonstrates.
All that’s left to do is to find your favourite recipe and enjoy!
Spider crab season
Spider crab is increasingly common in southern UK waters – especially to the south west and Wales.
The mass migrations of previous years appear to now be occurring on a more steady basis, meaning that you should be able to find spider crab most of the year.
However, the Cornwall Good Seafood Guide suggests avoiding spider crab between December and January.