Fast delivery
Get in as fast as 1 hour
It’s all local
Shop your favorites
Direct chat
Connect with shoppers
Crab Claws Delivery or Pickup
The Instacart guide to crab claws
About crab claws
Crab claws are a delicious favorite among seafood lovers. Though they're not always easy to get to, the effort involved in preparing and eating them is part of the fun of feasting on crab. There are many different types of crab claws that you might encounter as you're shopping. Some common options include:
- Stone Crab: The clear favorite for crab claws, stone crabs have a particularly significant amount of meat in their claws. Their sweet flavor makes them especially popular, though they also come with a higher price tag.
- Jonah Crab: Jonah crab claws are an affordable option similar in taste to stone crab claws. They're flaky and meaty with a sweet flavor, though they're not quite as sweet as stone crab. Jonah crabs are also smaller, and their claws are sometimes sold as cocktail claws.
- King Crab: The claw meat in a king crab is a bit firmer than other varieties. This meat is moist and flavorful with a rich, sweet taste. This is a larger variety of crab.
- Snow Crab: Snow crab claws are easily mistaken for king crab. They're tender, moist, and sweet, though the meat is a bit more fibrous than king crab.
If you purchase crab claws inside the shell, you'll need to laboriously remove the meat before you can enjoy them. You can do this by striking the claw firmly on the back or the rounded side of the knuckles with the back of a spoon. You should then be able to peel back the shell and reveal the claw meat. The claw has a hard membrane inside that you will need to pull the meat off of as well.
Crab claw cooking tips
If you purchased previously cooked claws, you don't have to do much to enjoy this delicious treat. If you're looking for the simplest way to prepare them, serve crab claws cold with mustard or cocktail sauce. When warmed, crab claws taste decadent dipped in melted butter with a squeeze of lemon juice.
If the claws have not been cooked, bring a pot of water to a boil and drop the crab claws in. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium, and cook your crab claws for about 10 minutes. You will be able to smell the rich aroma of the claws when they're cooked and ready to eat.
Alternately, you can cook crab claws on the grill. Place them on a sheet of aluminum foil and heat the claws until they turn bright red. Don't expose them to too much heat, or the meat will stick to the shell and be more difficult to remove. They should be ready in less than 10 minutes.
Crab Claws Near Me
Buy your favorite Crab Claws online with Instacart. Order Crab Claws from local and national retailers near you and enjoy on-demand, contactless delivery or pickup within 2 hours.
FAQs about crab claws
Stone crab claws are more expensive than other types of claws because harvesting them is more labor-intensive. Due to sustainability measures, fishermen cannot take the whole crab. They must remove only the claws. In Florida, 98% of stone crabs are found, harvesting can only occur between October 15 and May 1. The claws must be at least 2 7/8-inch long for a fisherman to harvest them legally.
It is legal to remove one or both claws, provided that they're the right size. If the claw is removed correctly, the crab can grow it back within a year. It takes about three years for the claw to become large enough for harvesting again. Since the process of harvesting stone crab claws requires pulling the crabs in, measuring their claws, carefully removing them, and returning the crabs to the sea, this crab meat is costly.
Getting the meat from crab claws can be a time-consuming process, so you'll likely want to round out your meal with other dishes. Some tasty sides that pair well with crab claws are garlic mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, fresh buttered corn on the cob, sweet potato fritters, and steamed vegetables.
Crab can be a healthy addition to your diet. This meat is high in protein and very low in fat. One cup of cooked crab has about 97 calories, 21 grams of protein, and less than 1 gram of fat. Crabmeat is also high in omega-3 fatty acids that help protect your eye health, promote brain health, and reduce your risk factors for heart disease. Crabmeat also contains selenium, an antioxidant that boosts your immune system. The B12 in crab supports your nerves and blood cells.
You can order crab meat either in the shell or hand-picked and canned through Instacart. It's easy to set up your account and fill your cart using either the Instacart website or app. Complete your order and enjoy convenient same-day home delivery of everything you need for a seafood feast!