The Blue King Crab Has Returned
King Crabs aren’t called as such for nothing; they are as tasty as they are many. They are usually caught in the cold waters of Alaska, 40 species in all comprised of the Red King, Golden King and the Blue King, all monarchs and rightfully so. Paralithodes platypus, commonly known as the Blue King Crab slowly vanished from their habitats by the year end of 1999. Have they made a comeback?
Crab commercial fishing has its beginning in 1960. In the 1990′s, crabs were beginning to be difficult to catch. Their population diminished by 92 percent, which was an alarming situation. The crabs which were fished first off Pribilo Island in the Bearing Sea were slowly decimated due to indiscriminate fishing in the 80′s. Because of the situation, crab fishing was totally prohibited in 1998.
What followed was a concerted effort to find a way of bringing back the population back to what it was before. The young “hatchlings” were treated to a scientifically managed operation and almost after a decade, eight years to be exact, in 2006; the crabs were back in the sea. The intense research was very helpful in tracing the activities of the crabs, from the food they eat to the ideal temperature for their survival. Everything was a success.
A female crab carrier has her eggs on her belly. They produce hundreds of thousands annually but hatch once a year only, and for the following year the female crab will have her sabbatical. It is easy to study crabs because you’ll find everything you need inside them.
Years of investigation brought success in the fall of 2009 when the supply in the ocean was beginning to increase. The fishermen returned to work and the crabs had returned.
The crabs were huge and their sizes were the largest ever. Their right appendage is enormous. In size. Like all the other crabs, the blue crab will turn yellow orange when exposed to heat. St. Matthew Islands has the distinction of being the record holder where the biggest crab was found, which was approximately 17 pounds heavy.
How do you classify a ten pounder crab? Without weighing it and just looking at it, the weight can be easily determined by the presence of a half dozen to 9 crawlers. Although blue crabs may taste like red crabs, the red crab will win hands down over the other crabs when superiority in taste is considered.
The crabs are fried in hot oil immediately after fished out of the sea and then soaked in ice to preserve its savory taste. Wait 12 hours when thawing and cook it using your favorite menu.
Everybody’s happy with the return of the king. The fishers, the restaurant owners, and the diners are back to their old happy days.
Alaskan Crab Legs are found majorly from Alaskan waters. Due to its high demand, it is made available all over the world and is within our reach anytime if we want Cooking King Crab Legs at home.
