They have an almost triangular-shaped orangey-red shell with cream flecks and very developed front legs and claws with black tips. Giant Crabs ( Pseudocarcinus gigas), the world’s heaviest Crabs, are found only in Australia’s southern waters. Although they only yield 25% meat, they are lower priced than other Crabs and some chefs prefer their distinctive flavour. They average about 400g and are usually sold cooked, although they can occasionally be found live. Usually found close inshore, often buried in sand, they are mainly fished off NSW and Queensland from January to October, peaking from July to October with the fishery closed for most of December.
![giant blue crab giant blue crab](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/58/4d/e8/584de83df36fdcd5673fd3d464e17d45.jpg)
Spanner Crabs( Ranina ranina), with their long, almost goblet-shaped, bright orange shells (even when uncooked) and spanner-shaped front claws, are quite distinctive. They yield about 25% meat, largely from the front claws, and are high priced with sweet flesh that has a slightly stronger flavour and firmer texture than that of other Crabs. It is best not to buy dead uncooked Mud Crabs as it’s difficult to determine their quality. They’re mostly sold live (as they can live out of water for days) but are also available cooked. They have large front legs and developed claws and generally weigh 500g-1kg. Supply peaks from January to April in Queensland and NSW and from May to August in the NT. Most common in Queensland, where only the males are caught, they are available year-round. A number of closely related Mud Crabs, are differentiated by colour, but the Giant Mud Crab ( Scylla serrata), with its dark blue-green to mottled brown shell, is by far the major species in Australia. Mud Crabs, also swimmer Crabs, are found mainly on the muddy bottoms of shallow coastal mangroves. They yield about 35% meat, are medium priced and have a mild, sweet, nutty flavour. They are one of the few Crabs not sold live, but cooked or green (uncooked), as they don’t survive well once captured.
![giant blue crab giant blue crab](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Pp-bZRvRBGk/maxresdefault.jpg)
They weigh an average of 200-300g and, like all crustacea, turn orange when cooked. The three main species seen in Australia are:īlue Swimmer Crabs ( Portunus pelagicus), distinctive for the mottled bright blue to purple of the males’ shells (the females tend to be more mottled brown), are caught year-round with peaks from November to April. Only a few species are targeted around Australia, with the rest being bycatch.
![giant blue crab giant blue crab](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/B4JGoWtxvMg/maxresdefault.jpg)
Most edible Crabs in Australia belong to the ‘swimmer’ family, and can be identified by flat paddles on the end of their back legs. They are found in a wide range of marine habitats and vary greatly in size and appearance, but many have delicious soft, moist, sweet flesh and are less expensive than other comparable shellfish. From tiny Oyster Crabs that make their homes in live oysters to the world’s heaviest Crab, the Giant Crab, found in our southern waters, there are well over 1,000 species of Decapoda reptantia (‘ten footed crawlers’ or Crabs) worldwide.