Spider Crab

[Deanno]

Last year I started potting from my kayak and Had myself a few spider crabs i'm not a big fish lover eventhough I fish as often as I can.

does anybody know any recepies or which bits to eat. I looked up and found out that the spanish love them with their sweet tender leg meat but whay about the body? surley you dont just eat the legs?

also A local fisherman told me that if you get a spider when its peeling (Like a peeler crab) they are top baits for Bass?

[FGYT]

spidercrab is very sweet n tasty but yes you basically eat the leg meat not forgeting the meat in the leg sockets of the body on a reasonable sized one you get a lot of meat
i like the River cottage linguenie recipe

ATB

Duncan

[Tony]

There's loads of spider crab around our coast, I think i'm right that we can take up to 3 a day which you can do just clambering bout sometimes.

I've always just eaten them how they come, i'll have to try some recipes with them.

[_scorpio_]

i would assume the main body would be mostly internal organs and breathing apparatus (gills) which would take up a lot of space whereas the legs would be mostly tissue so the best bits to eat. as long as unwanted bits go back into the sea it isn't really being wasteful.

[gowersponger]

i caught bass last year on spider crab if you are geting spider crab in your pots you should also be geting the odd edible , in spain like you say they love the spiders ive not tryd eating them the velvet crab is also a very good bait,, did hear a story that in ireland they pull the claws off and throw the spider crab back and it grows new claws ,the claw is ment to house tender meat ??

[FGYT]

There's loads of spider crab around our coast, I think i'm right that we can take up to 3 a day which you can do just clambering bout sometimes.

I've always just eaten them how they come, i'll have to try some recipes with them.

you can take as many as you like for personnel use (local by laws maybe different)

if its commercial use you will have a limit

ATB

Duncan

[kieran]

i caught bass last year on spider crab if you are geting spider crab in your pots you should also be geting the odd edible , in spain like you say they love the spiders ive not tryd eating them the velvet crab is also a very good bait,, did hear a story that in ireland they pull the claws off and throw the spider crab back and it grows new claws ,the claw is ment to house tender meat ??

We always just threw spidys back, no market for them, pulled te claws off edible crabs though.

[FGYT]

We always just threw spidys back, no market for them, pulled te claws off edible crabs though.

pretty much all Spider Crab is cault ands shipped to Spain etc we in UK dont eat it

if you can try some its actually nicer than Edible crab :eek:

pulling off the claws isnt very nice ..yes they are designed to grow back its a last ditch Survival thing
most will get killed and eaten way before they do and it takes a long long time to get the claw back up to size if they are lucky enough to live

ATB

Duncan

[Deanno]

I agree with you FGYT i personally would not rip the claws off just think of them as your finger nails they take ages to grow back.

[kieran]

I always thought similer but we were catching the to sell and noone wanted the whole crab for some reason, plus they were considered by catch after lobster.