Straight from Devon's coastal waters, we're pleased to (re)introduce you to the enigmatic spider crab, the ultimate British underdog of the seafood world.
While it may not have the same fame as its more expensive cousin the brown crab, spider crab has a unique taste and texture that deserves a place on every British seafood lover's plate. Despite its abundance in Cornwall and Devon, this long-legged crustacean is often overlooked by British consumers and is mostly exported to Spain and France where it's considered a delicacy.
To help UK consumers catch up, British fishermen and local chefs have made an effort in recent years to spotlight spider crab, even re-branding it as Cornish and Devon King Crab. In an interview with the BBC, Jack Stein (chef and director at his father Rick Stein's restaurants) for example shared that spider crab is very sustainable, good value and delicious –– "amazing quality meat and there is just so much of it in the summer, but lots of it is sold in the EU."
While sourcing this local delicacy supports sustainable fishing practices and promotes the vitality of our coastal communities, spider crab truly shines in the quality of its meat. It has meaty legs with succulent white flesh -– sweeter than the more mainstream Brown Crab, and it also makes for a more impressive dinner party centrepiece given its large size and quirky shape. It's a very affordable option to add to your basket and you'll be surprised how easy it is to pick out the meat from a cooked spider crab.
If you prefer your crab ready to eat, we've got you covered with our freshly picked crab meat collection. We now also offer a new set of 100g crab meat portions, starting from £7 - perfect for a speedy midweek crab & avocado salad or your favourite crab toastie (with or without cheese).
In need of recipe suggestions? Enter Urko Gotxi, Head Chef at restaurant Barrafina in London. Find his Spider Crab 'A La Donostiarra' (pictured below), a stunning sharing plate for four people, featured on our recipe blog this week.
