Snow crab from Greenland
Snow crab in the kitchen
The snow crab is a popular delicacy. The meat is juicy, and of a satisfying texture that is served chilled or as an ingredient in a warm dish, adding a touch of the sea to any meal.
A versatile product
In the USA snow crab clusters and claws are particularly popular in buffets and cold salads. In Japan snow crab leg-meat is appreciated for the flavor it adds to sushi.
Snow crab products
Our snow crab from Greenland is sold fully cooked; as whole sections (also called clusters), legs, cocktail claws or shipped to production plants and processed for meat extraction.
Snow crab in the sea
The snow crab is named after the climate where it lives: the coldest parts of the North Atlantic Sea and the Northern Pacific Ocean, where the water temperature is always below 4°C. The crab has a small body with long, thin legs and has an orange, light-brown or red-coloured shell. The snow crab lives for around six years and typically resides inshore, in fjords where the seabed is muddy or sandy. In this habitat there is a abundance food for the snow crab, mainly other shellfish, mussels and molluscs. The snow crab is seen at depths from 20 to 1,200 metres, but is usually found at between 70 and 280 metres.
The male crab is usually twice the size of the female, measuring around 15 centimetres across the shield, while the female typically measures eight to nine centimetres. Females and males live separately, except during the spawning season, when the eggs are fertilised. After spawning, the female carries the eggs for up to a year before they hatch.
Snow crab habitat
Snow crab lives in the coldest parts of the North Atlantic Sea and the Northern Pacific Ocean
Fishery
Snow crabs are caught in Greenland by local fishermen when the quota permits, which is usually from March to December.
Snow crab are fished using pots, which is the traditional catching method, with very little impact on the seabed and no risk of by-catch. The pots are lined, bated with squid or fish, and lowered to the seabed. The design allows the snow crabs to enter, but not to leave, trapping the crabs alive inside the pots.
Catching gear
Pot fishery is a gentle method both to the environment and the snow crab, that has been passed along for generations between fishermen in the Northern seas.
When the pots are hauled on board, the crabs are sorted by shell size. Females and juvenile males are not caught commercially and are left to reproduce, which is why the fishermen put females and males with a shell diameter below 10 centimetres back into the sea. The remaining crabs are stored in boxes with ice to keep them fresh and at their normal temperature.
Processing
Royal Greenland operates production facilities along the west coast of Greenland, where the snow crabs are landed alive and are graded by size and quality. Dead crabs are rejected upon arrival. The snow crabs are butchered mechanically or slaughtered by hand in the most humane way possible.
Processing
The snow crabs are butchered mechanically or slaughtered by hand in the most humane way possible.
Sorting
The snow crab clusters are carefully sorted based on size and quality before they enter the cooking area, where the clusters are cooked in fresh water.
The shoulder with four legs attached is called a cluster. The clusters are sent on to production, where they are cooked in fresh water. Immediately after cooking, the clusters are cooled down and brine frozen.
Finally, the snow crab products are packed and then placed in the blast freezer. The finished products are allocated to customers around the world.
Ready for shipping
Snow crabs from Greenland are typically packed in 10 lb cartons. See total assortment in link below.