Crab

Found worldwide, this large family has at least 12 edible members. In the kitchen, crabs fall into two categories: large-bodied crabs with plenty of body meat, and long-legged crabs with meat mostly in the legs and claws. Large-bodied crabs, which resemble the zodiac symbol, are most familiar in the kitchen. Their body size, which varies enormously with age and species, can be as large as 10 in/25 cm. The larger they are, the easier the meat is to extract from the shell and inner membrane enclosing it. Most crabs are pink or brown, so the delicate North American blue crab is easily recognizable, as is the green shore crab of the United States and Europe. Like other crabs, both turn red when cooked. With certain species of crab, such as the Florida stone crab and the Australian mud crab, only the claws are eaten. Because of this, the claws are broken off and the creature is thrown back in the ocean, where eventually it grows new claws.