The blue crab’s shell—called the “carapace”—is a blue to olive green.
Shells can reach up to 9 inches across.
Blue crab claws are bright blue, and mature females have red tips on their claws too.
They have three pairs of walking legs and rear swimming legs that look like paddles.
Blue crabs have an “apron” that covers their abdomen. Males’ aprons are thin; females’ are wider. In the Chesapeake Bay, people often refer to males’ aprons as looking like the Washington Monument while females’ aprons look like the Capitol dome.
A blue crab has white meat which has a mild, salty ocean flavor with a subtle sweet undertone. The backfin meat offers the prime morsel, which is delicate, flaky, and tender. It has the “feel” of a scallop, but the blue crab is certainly a unique seafood; its succulent, rich, buttery mouthfeel is hard to find in anything else dragged out of the ocean. The blue crab should have a mild aroma of the sea if it is fresh.
Soft-shell crabs are a type of blue crab that has recently shed its shell. They are harvested before a new shell has time to develop and harden. “Softies” are great eating and can be consumed shell and all. They provide a lovely crunchy texture. The shells lose their blue color and turn an orange-red shade once cooked.
