A Quick Guide to North Coast Seafoods Crab Meat Types

Crab meat is generally split up into “five different categories, which, in descending order of price, are jumbo lump, lump, backfin, special, and claw”. 

At North Coast Seafoods, we find it helpful to group our crabmeat into six different types.

Unsure of which one is right for you? Check out our detailed blog post classifying our different types of crab meat, “Culinary Reserve Pasteurized Crab Meat”.

Looking for quick answers? Here’s a quick guide to the different types of crabmeat we sell.

North Coast Seafoods’ Six Types of Crabmeat

Ever wondered how lump crab meat vs claw meat compares? How about the difference between jumbo lump, super lump, and lump meat? Here’s your quick and easy guide to our 6 main types of crabmeat:

1. Colossal Crab Meat: This type of meat consists of the two largest unbroken muscles connected to the swimming legs of the crab. It’s best used in upscale crab cocktail recipes where the impressive presentation of large pieces of crabmeat is desired. With colossal crab meat, it’s best to serve the sweet flavor and delicate texture of the meat without much, if any, extra seasoning or accompaniments.
2. Jumbo Lump Crab Meat: This meat comes from the two unbroken muscles connected to the swimming legs of the crab. It includes some broken lumps, so it is considered slightly less impressive than colossal crab meat, and is best used in recipes with limited ingredients. 
3. Super Lump Crab Meat: This type of crabmeat is essentially jumbo lump crab meat broken up into smaller pieces with large flakes included. It’s a great “high-end” size of meat that can shine on its own or with minimal preparation and seasoning. Super lump crab meat makes for a beautiful stuffing for fish, chicken, vegetables or seafood.
4. Lump Crab Meat: Consists of broken pieces of jumbo flakes and special crab meat from the body of the crab. Best for crab cakes, dips, salads, and casseroles.
5. Special Crab Meat: This value crabmeat consists of smaller pieces of both lump and flake meat from the body of the crab. It’s best reserved for applications like crab cakes, salads, spreads, soups, and crab balls.
6. Claw Crab Meat: Claw crabmeat is taken from the claws and legs of the crab. It is darker and richer with a stronger flavor than other types (meat from the body and legs of the crab). It is therefore best reserved for dips, soups, and stuffings. It can also be combined with lump meat to help you reduce the cost of recipes while maintaining a favorable flavor profile.

North Coast Seafoods: Delivering Premium Crabmeat to You!

Everything we do at North Coast Seafoods is anchored in long-term relationships —from the fishermen we partner with to Chefs and consumers. 

We control every step of the process of getting seafood to you, from harvesting to cutting and packaging to delivery. 

We’re a first receiver and processor, meaning there’s no middleman. Just us, you, and the highest quality seafood imaginable. (Did you know that there are no government-mandated inspections for seafood? — So we’ve implemented our own quality standards and assurance processes).

Ready to taste the difference for yourself? Order pure seafood delivered to your door.