Physical characteristics:
The brown king crab is one of the three commercially fished
king crab, and, despite it's label of "gold", is the king
crab occupying the lowest market niche. Gold king crab,
like all king crab in general, are different from other
crab species in two distinct ways. King crab have only three
sets of "walking" legs and one set of claws while most other
crabs have four sets of walking legs and a set of claws.
King crab also differ form other crabs in their type of
claws. The three king crab species have a smaller "feeder"
claw (for manipulation and handling of food), and a larger
"killer" claw for crushing their prey. The gold king crab
is easy to discern from either red or blue king crab. Size
is not always distinguishing, but generally gold king crab
is smaller than red or blue. Shell color in golden king
crab is orange to brown, hence its name, whereas the shell
color in red and blue is a more red to purple in the live
state and bright red in the cooked state. The brown king
crab typically range in size from 2 to 3 feet from tip to
tip and 4 to 7 pounds in weight, but Russian-caught gold
king crab from un-fished waters can grow larger. |
|
Major catch areas:
Alaska, Russia. |
|
Seasonality: Alaska gold king crab
is fished all year in the Bering Sea and in January through
February in Southeast Alaska. Russian gold king crab is
fished from September through November. |
|
Harvest
method: All king crab is caught in large wire pots baited
with herring or other fish. |
| Product forms: |
|
Fresh: Very little is sold fresh, but
there are some small niche markets for live, fresh whole-cooks
and fresh sections. |
Frozen:
With the very small exception of gold king crab that is
sold as whole-cooked for displays, most king crab is sold
as bulk sections that are later processed into single legs
and claws. These sections are processed in three major ways:
cooked and brine frozen, cooked and air ("blast") frozen,
and raw and air frozen. U.S. markets prefer cooked/brine
frozen for ease of meat extraction at the end user level,
and the "salty" taste from brine freezing. Bulk sections
are usually sold un-graded from Alaska, but come from Russia
graded as "M" (300-500 gram), "L" (500-700 gram), "2L" (700-900
gram) and "3L" (900 gram/+). Packing of bulk sections is
usually in 40-60# cartons, but some smaller cluster packs
such as a 10 Kg. pack exists for export markets. |
Value-added:
Crab sections are most popularly re-processed into "legs
and claws", graded by the number of legs and claws in 10#
(in the natural proportion of 3 walking legs to 1 claw arm).
This gives the size grade 6/9 count, 9/12 count, 12/14 count,
14/17 count, 16/20 count, 20/24 count and 20/+ count. These
legs and claw packs are sold in 20# cartons. Occasionally
legs and claws are further processed into "splits" (legs
split down their length to expose the meat), "select portions"
(shoulder and merus joints only), and a few other esoteric
specialty cuts. Some re-processors take the killer claws
off the claw arm and sell them as "broiler claws" to high
end markets. Another value-added form is as crabmeat, extracted
and sold in three forms: "merus" (IQF meat from the largest
leg joint), "fancy" (combination pack of leg and shoulder
meat), and "salad" (blocks of shoulder meat only). |
|
Flavor/texture profile: King crab is
sweet, firm and very rich. Leg meat is somewhat stringy,
while the body or shoulder meat is more flaky in texture.
|
Notes: Internationally, gold king crab
occupies the lowest market niches and therefore is lower in price
than either red or blue. Most Alaskan and Russian gold king crab
ends up in the United States, its lower price point has made it
a staple in retail and lower end foodservice applications where
price-point is important. Golden king crab has a tendency to be
lighter in fill than the other king crab species. All king crab
products need to be heated to 400 degrees F. for four minutes
prior to eating to minimize risk from listeria. |
|
Nutritional Facts
| Calories |
84 |
|
|
| Fat calories |
5 |
|
|
| Total
fat |
0.6
g |
|
|
| Saturated
fat |
--- |
|
|
| Cholesterol |
42
mg |
|
|
| Sodium |
836
mg |
|
|
| Potassium |
204
mg |
|
|
| Protein |
18.3
g |
|
|
| Iron |
0.6
mg |
|
|
| Serving
Size |
100g./3.5oz.
(raw) |
|
|
|
