“In an area famous for a preference for blue crab, the red crab compares quite well with its blue counterpart,” Fisher says. “To keep red crab healthy for five or more days in a live market, we have to develop entirely new ways for managing their water chemistry: controlling for temperature, ammonia concentrations, pH, and many other factors,” he says. “The crab’s purported sweet flavor and meaty texture has the potential to be marketed as a premium product,” he says.įisher says the main challenge of taking a deep-water crab into the live market is keeping them alive and healthy. Fisher describes the crab as sweeter than snow crab with a texture much like the Dungeness. The Marine Stewardship Council certified the species as sustainable in 2009-meaning all retail and food service partners can be assured of the viability of the stock and the endurance of a well-managed fishery. Fisher explained the crabs are found in the deep cold waters of the Atlantic, and live along the edge of the North American continental shelf from Nova Scotia down along the East Coast and into the Gulf of Mexico.įisher explained that the water temperature where the crabs live-at depths from about 650 to 6,000 feet-is a constant 38 degrees Fahrenheit, thereby producing a cold-water crab with superior taste and texture. Robert Fisher, VIMS extension staff affiliated with Virginia Sea Grant, kicked off the symposium by providing some background on the red crab as a species. The crabs are harvested sustainably, available year-round, and arrive at the local markets fresh, not frozen. This deep-sea species resembles a snow crab and is caught using hive-shaped traps deployed along the edge of the continental shelf. This year highlighted a newcomer to local seafood markets, the Atlantic red crab Chaceon quinquedens. The annual education program-sponsored by VIMS Marine Advisory Services, Virginia Sea Grant, and the American Culinary Federation’s Virginia Chefs Association-brings together culinary professionals, culinary students, scientists, and representatives from the seafood industry and related businesses for a day of learning, cooking, and tasting. VIMS hosts 23 rd annual Chef’s Seafood SymposiumĬhefs from across Hampton Roads visited the Virginia Institute of Marine Science last week for a daylong symposium designed to introduce a new player in the local seafood game-the red crab.
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