Crabmeat

Sold “fresh" frozen, pasteurized, or canned, crabmeat is always cooked in order to get it out of the shell. Pasteurized crabmeat is cooked again to increase its shelf life. Most canned crabmeat is imported and is usually of lower quality than crabmeat sold in plastic tubs. The best crabmeat is fresh and unpasteurized and is kept on ice until it is sold. Frozen crabmeat can also be good, since it is frozen immediately after picking.

Meat from blue crabs, the most common type available, is labeled according to its source on the crab. Meat from other crabs, such as Dungeness or Maine, is usually a mixture of claw and fin meat.