Snow Crab turning black is normal and good to eat but unpleasant
Most seafood is rich in sulfur. In fact, most animals are rich in sulfur as sulfur plays a key role in forming disulfide bridges important for protein structures.
Snow crabs cause enzymatic reactions that form iron sulfide molecules that create a black color when oxidized. Thus, snow crabs naturally turn black when exposed to an oxygen rich environment.
Snow crabs live in depths of the oceans in an aquatic environment where oxygen is scarce compared with our atmosphere.
Possibly, the hydrogen sulfide irons could also dehydrate molecules only leaving the carbon residues that make the crab black.(Think of coal, or your pencil, this is carbon molecules that are black). Overall, snow crabs naturally turn black in the shell and the meat. It is also still edible as it doesn’t harm the quality of the snow crab meat but it does look unpleasant.
Intestines of Snow Crabs / Snow Crab Butter – What are they exactly
The Intestines of the snow crabs are known as snow crab butter. The most delightful and flavorful parts of the snow crab intestines are the gonads and the hepatopancreas. Snow crabs and other crustaceans have a different type of digestive system compared with mammals(humans included).
Snow crabs have a midgut gland called the hepatopancreas system that functions as both the liver and the pancreas. Gonads are the gametes, the reproductive organs / reproductive glands that would later develop into ovaries(eggs)or testis.
Organs that must be removed before consuming snow crabs
The intestines of snow crabs or the snow crab butter are the gonads and the hepatopancreas(the liver and the pancreas for crabs). However, many people mistake some organs and have a foul and bitter experience when consuming snow crabs.
First of all, the blood must be drained before eating snow crabs. If there are white clumps in the snow crab intestines, there is a high chance these are the clumps of snow crab blood and the snow crab wasn’t properly prepped.
Also, the stomach of the snow crab is a small thin clear organ that is attached to the mouth. This might have foul residues and may be dirty and foul to eat.
The gills of all sea creatures must be removed before consumption. The gills contact the exterior environment the most and may have dirty residues and cause a foul taste.
Red snow crabs(Chionoecetes japonicus) – Japan and South Korea
Although bairdi crab and the opilio carbs are the main snow crab species of the Chionoecetes genus consumed in Western countries, in South Korea and Japan red snow crabs (Chionoecetes japonicus) are also a delicacy. Red snow crabs are usually found between the sea between Japan and Korea.
The South Korea government prohibits red snow crab fishing in July and August. Red snow crabs are also a delicacy; however they are cheaper and there are more supplies compared with the opilio crabs and bairdi crab (snow crabs).
Difference between snow crabs and red snow crabs(Chionoecetes japonicus)
It is important to distinguish snow crabs and red snow crabs because red snow crabs are much cheaper than snow crabs.
There are some restaurants that serve red snow crabs as if they were snow crabs. Some restaurants even claim that red snow crabs are better than snow crabs when caught red handed.
When cooked or steamed, it is very difficult to distinguish a red snow crab and a snow crab. Below are the major differences between snow crabs and red snow crabs.
Red snow crabs have a red belly and the whole body is red while opilio crabs and bairdi crabs, the general snow crabs have a white color on their belly.
Red snow crab shell is red while snow crab shell is orange colored on the back. However, when cooked, the Chitin, the main material of crab shells turn red so it is difficult to tell the differences.
Red snow crabs have skinnier legs compared with snow crabs.
When looked from the side, the linings of the bottom of the upper shell of red snow crabs converge into one. However, the linings of the bottom of the upper shell of opilio crabs and bairdi crabs(snow crabs) are two parallel lines.
Origins of the name of Snow Crabs
In Asian countries, the snow crabs are named after bamboo because the leg joints of the snowcrabs look similar to the junctions of bamboo. Snow crabs were named due to the cold environments.
Snow crab species are caught as bairdi crab and opilio crabs are caught in the icy freezing seas. Snow crabs don’t walk sideways and they form massive groups of their own kind in the wild.
Snow Crab broth
Snow crab broth is also a delicacy and used in many restaurants. However, instead of using the prime quality snow crabs, lesser quality snow crabs are used for broth.
Haegakpo - snow crab jerky
Haegakpo 해각포 means jerky made from shell from the sea. Heagakpo is dried snow crab legs or red snow crab legs that are dried at sea. Heagakpo is basically snow crab jerky and has a concentrated flavor of snow crab.
Deadliest Catch – Award Winning Documentary series of Discovery Channel – Catching Snow crabs, king crabs
The 14 times Emmy Awards winning series Deadliest Catch from Discovery Channel is one of the best documentary series in the world that premiered the danger of fishing snow crabs and king crabs.
The Deadliest Catch crab fishers that sail the freezing icy cold Bering Sea with tides from 7 to 15 meters. Hypothermia kills a human within one minute without proper gear in the Bering Sea.
Yet, the opilio crabs (snow crabs) and king crabs promise a high profit. Fishing snow crabs is a high risk with high expenses and life-threatening dangers but has a high return as well.
Snow Crab fishing is considered a top-ranking job among the world’s most dangerous jobs. The crab fleets would capture opilio crabs, bairdi crabs and king crabs during each of the seasons.
Consumption and Cooking methods of Snow Crab
In western countries, most consumption of snow crabs is focused on the legs while the snow crab bodies are consumed a lot as crab cakes. Snow crabs are often boiled and they may be baked with other seasonings in the wester countries.
Snow crab intestines are not used for human consumption but rather wasted or used as animal feed.
However, in the East Asia region, snow crabs are steamed or even eaten raw. Snow crabs could reach the market alive rather than dead and frozen so snow crabs could be consumed raw depending on their mise en place or set up.
Also, the snow crab intestines have a very unique flavor profile so it is used as a delicacy as well. The snow crab intestines quality highly depends on the vitality and survivability of snow crabs and snow crabs could reach markets alive and much fresher in East Asian countries.
*Crab waste or crabs in bad conditions have the worst odor among all seafood that even experts avoid.
Difficulties for the snow crab business
Snow crabs that are caught with fish pots(crab pots) are much more expensive than snow crabs caught with net fishing. In certain seas like the Bering Sea of course it is impossible to net fish because of the wild currents and the depths of the sea that snow crabs inhabit.
For consumption of snow crabs in South Korea, import processes are also important for the quality of snow crabs.
Imported snow crabs must go through custom clearances and snow crabs have to wait at the custom services before official importation. Snow crabs in South Korea must be fresh, in fact snow crabs are usually distributed alive and even reach the market alive.
The market quality of snow severely plunders if they die. Thus there are many difficulties for the snow crab market as it is mandatory to keep the snow crabs alive in South Korea.
