Blue Crab Anatomy - learn the different parts of the blue crab.

Blue Crab Identification - How to tell the males from the females, and more facts about blue crabs.

How to Shell and Eat Crabs - Marylanders are born with the crab gene, but for those who transplant into the state here are some tips to help you look like a natural-born pro at the table.

The Maryland Blue Crab - The blue crab's scientific name translates as "beautiful swimmer that is savory." Blue crab meat sometimes is compared to the sweetness of lobster meat; the flavor best appreciated by cracking and eating steamed hard-shells or feasting on soft-shells. Crab is prepared in restaurant and home kitchens in innumerable ways: steamed or sautéed, as Maryland Crab Cakes and Crab Imperial, or in crab soup and crab dip.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Blue Crab Facts - Facts, figures and interesting information about the blue crab.

Peelers

are about to "peel" their hard outer shell. The paper-thin new shell makes the crab very easy to eat, providing a delicacy to diners without the work of picking the sweet, white meat from a typically hard shell.

Pink Sign

is a pink dot that appears on a crab's back fin about a week before it begins to molt. It is the appearance of a new shell inside the one the crab is about to shed.

Busting

describes a crab that is emerging from its old shell.

Soft-shells

have emerged from their old shells and now have a very thin, soft shell. Soft-shells are delicacies that are eagerly awaited by crab lovers each season. Soft-shell season is marked by the first full moon in May. It continues through early fall.

Paper-shell

crabs are soft-shells whose shells have stiffened some.

Buckram

crabs are at a stage following paper-shell when the shell is starting to harden but is still pliable.

Hard-shells

have hardened shells, usually within 4 days after shedding.

Sponge Crab

is a female crab that has an egg mass on her abdomen. Sponge crabs cannot be harvested so as to ensure many productive crab harvests in the future.

Keeper

is a crab that is big enough to keep, usually at least 5 inches.

Doublers (also Buck and Rider)

are two mating crabs, moving as a unit, with the male above and female below.

Picking

is the art of eating a steamed hard-shell crab.

Lump

are the largest pieces of meat from the body, adjacent to the backfin. The most expensive form of crabmeat.

Backfin

is the white body meat including lump and large flakes. Used for crab cakes and crab imperial.

Special

are flakes of white body meat other than lump. Good for crab cakes, soups, casseroles and dips.

Claw meat

is brownish meat from the claws. Best for soups and dips, its the least expensive type of crab meat.