Quality Snow crab Selection 8. On the belly of the Snow crab, if there are slimy black residue, quality has a chance of being lower
THIS IS THE BELLY, not the back, on the back there might be some attached sea animals or vegetation or the eggs of sea leaches but these are indications of good quality snow crabs.
This is to check the belly, if there are black residues on the belly, it may indicate that it has been starved in the aquarium without being sold for a lot of time. These black residues may be slime or evidence of oxidation on the shell.
*This is not talking about the black marks from oxidation as well.
Quality Snow crab Selection 9. Snow Crabs with a yellowish body are those that lived older. These snow crabs have an assured decent quality.
Snow crabs that have more of a yellowish mustard like color than a white color are crabs that haven’t shed for a long time.
These yellowish colored snow crabs are always a decent quality snow crab. However these snow crabs may not have the prime quality figures while they would have a decent price that wouldn’t betray you.
Quality Snow crab Selection 10. Snow Crabs that have black egg-like residue on the back have a higher chance of better quality. (These are actually eggs, will be explained)
The black egg like residues are actually eggs from sea leeches. Sea leeches are not like the ordinary freshwater leeches that we know.
Sea leeches do not suck on blood and sometimes these black eggs on the snow crab may even hatch.
These sea leeches are harmless to humans and even if eaten, there aren’t any known hazards to humans although it looks unpleasant.
These sea leeches lay eggs on the snow crabs thinking it was a rock and the sea leeches can’t lay eggs inside the snow crab. There may be other sea animals that may lay eggs on the gills, however, on the snow crabs but in most cases are also harmless as well.
The presence of these black eggs indicate the snow crab had enough time to grow more crab meat and hasn’t shed in a while so it is an indicator of a better-quality snow crab.
Quality Snow crab Selection 11. The vitality of the snow crabs is critical. Snow Crab meat and intestine yield and quality is higher if the snow crab is vivid and active while the quality is lower when the snow crab is lifeless and closer to death.
Snow crabs tend to consume more energy when they are stressed or senses death and starts to die out that reducing the crab met yield and intestine qualtiy. All animals do consume much more energy and lose meat yield when death is imminent. Instantly butchering animals for meat is thus important.
Crustaceans, including snow crabs quickly lose meat yield when they are stressed or when they start to die out.
Also, snow crabs and crustaceans quickly deteriorate when they die so the quality of the snow crab plunders when snow crabs are dead or close to death. Buying a dead snow crab is a really risky gamble even if the quality snow crab selection criterias are all satisfied.
Quality Snow crab Selection 12. When pressed, snow crab legs that are more plump have a higher chance of more meat yield.
Literally, pressing on the snow crab leg to check the snow crab meat yield is one of the most common methods to check on snow crab quality.
However, this is mostly for beginners and expert merchants only check the snow crab leg and press it when they are not sure of the snow crab quality.
Beginners make another mistake as they check if the crab leg is hard. The purpose is not to check if the snow crab leg is hard, of course it is hard and it is rather to check if the snow crab meat is pushing against the snow crab shell.
Pressing on the snow crab leg significantly stresses the snow crabs so it lowers the snow crab quality.
Quality Snow crab Selection 13. There aren’t any certain methods to determine if the snow crab intestine is yellow, green or black
Snow crab intestines may be a delicacy in only Asia for now, but if the world gets to know, demand of the snow crab intestines would soar.
For Koreans, snow crab intestines and hot rice combination is a grand slam. There are various colors of snow crab intestines yellow, green and black, and the most delicious and prime delicacy is the yellow intestine snow crab.
However, the color of the intestines of snow crabs depend on their diet and it is unpredictable. For Korea origin snow crabs, snow crabs caught in deeper depths or with bakdal daegae quality have a higher chance of having yellow-colored intestines but this is also uncertain.
Quality Snow crab Selection 14. Snow Crabs that miss their legs may have lower quality prices.
If there were physical impact, quality isn’t compromised but snow crabs remove their legs if they are greatly stressed or when they are losing life.
Snow crabs that lost a leg have a lower market value. Personally, I prefer to purchase snow crabs that lost a leg because the merchants even give the detached leg while the snow crab cost may drop from 10~50 %. It may drop even more if several legs were detached.
A snow crab missing a leg may be an indication that the snow crab was greatly stressed or might be a sensitive one.
In this case, the snow crab may have consumed its crab meat and may have lower quality intestines. However, if the snow crab lost its leg by physical contact, you may have a cheaper snow crab without quality compromise.
Quality Snow crab Selection 15. Vitality of snow crabs is crucial. Snow Crabs that are vivid and active have a higher chance with better quality. Dead snow crabs are always a gamble.
Snow crabs tend to consume energy that reduces their meat and intestine contents explained above. Also snow crabs and other crustaceans deteriorate quicker than any other seafood.
Thus to process snow crabs, speed is crucial as it is important to freeze, cook or process them when they are alive.
Quality Snow crab Selection 16. Lift the snow crab upside down and see if the snow crabs could hold their legs stiff. This is a great indicator for the vitality of the snow crabs
Snow Crabs that are very vivid could keep their legs straight in the air stiff when held upside down.
These crabs might even survive for days in a non-aquarium environment , even your refrigerator. Snow crabs that can’t hold their legs stiff when they are held upside down are losing life and have a chance of lower quality.
