Crab

One of the most popular items on Washington seafood menus is the Dungeness crab. This hard-shelled crustacean is fished from the Aleutian Islands to Mexico.

Golden king crab is the smallest of the Alaskan king crab species and is found mostly in the Aleutian Islands. King crab is low in saturated fat and a good source of vitamin B12, phosphorus, zinc, copper, and selenium. It has fleshy claws and legs with sweet, rich meat, and crab caught later in the year tends to have a higher meat fill. King crab is sold as sections, claws, legs, and split legs band sawed down the middle.

Red king crab is the largest and most common species of the Alaskan king crab species and accounts for 75% of the Alaska catch, with more than 90% of that caught in Bristol Bay. King crab is low in saturated fat and a good source of vitamin B12, phosphorus, zinc, copper, and selenium. It has fleshy claws and legs with sweet, rich meat, and crab caught later in the year tends to have a higher meat fill.

The snow-white meat is what gives the snow crab its name and its reputation as a delicacy. Generally harvested from January to April in the Eastern Bering Sea, but available year-round, U.S. wild-caught in Alaska. It has a sweet taste, and its texture is delicate and flaky.