Fresh Female Crab Whole Blue Swimming

The meat of the blue crab has a rich, sweet, succulent, and buttery flavor. The body meat is delicately flavored, while claw meat is nutty. Softshells offer a crunchy texture since they are eaten shell and all. Cooked shells of blue crabs turn orange-red. Body meat is white, tender, and flaky. Claw meat has a brownish tint, which is natural. Pasteurized meat is firmer and darker than fresh crab meat. Fresh blue-crab meat should have a mild aroma; pasteurized should have a slight, “heated” aroma.