What is the difference between king crab and snow crab?
Crabs come in a variety of flavors, sizes, shapes, and textures. King crab and snow crab are the most common varieties of crab.
They have distinctive features but if you do not have knowledge about crabs, you may not easily know which variety are you feeding on. Their body meat is not fed on, it is only the legs that are eaten.
The main difference between king crab and snow crab is that king crabs are larger in size while snow crabs are slightly smaller in size.
Comparison Table (King crab vs Snow crab)
| Characteristics | King crab | Snow crab |
| Size | They are larger in size. | They are comparatively smaller in size. |
| Legs | They have shorter legs, thicker with spiky, tough to crack shells. | They have long legs with thinner shells. |
| Habitat | They reside in the Bering sea between Alaska and Russia. | They reside in North Atlantic and Pacific oceans preferring the deep cold water. |
| Harvesting | They are harvested for a few weeks in winter. | Their harvesting starts in late fall and extends to early summer. |
| Taste | They have a sweet flavor. | They have subtly, briny flavor. |
| Texture | They have a tender texture. | They have a firm texture. |
| Availability | As they have a short harvesting season, they are not available. | They are mostly available. |
| Price | They are expensive. | They are comparatively cheaper. |
What Is King Crab?
King crab is a variety of crabs that has a sweet flavor. They are found in the Bering sea between Alaska and Russia. Their harvesting season is always short lasting for few weeks. This makes the variety not to be available in the market all the time.
Due to their harvesting time, it makes their prices to be high as when they come to market there is too much demand for them hence high prices.
They have a large body size. Their legs have a prickly shell, they are shorter and thick. This makes them a little bit difficult to handle.
Its meat is firm and it remains together as a single piece after the shell has been removed. The legs are quite huge and they are served per single crab leg.
What Is Snow Crab?
Snow crab is a variety of crabs found in the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They prefer the deeper and cooler parts of the oceans.
They are slightly smaller in body size as compared to king crab. They have a long harvesting season and this makes them be available in the market throughout hence their prices are comparatively cheaper as compared to king crab.
Their legs are longer with thinner shells. This makes it easier for the shells to be removed from the flesh hence easier to handle.
It has a sweet and mild flavor and the texture of its flesh is firmly making it not split into pieces when the shell is being removed.
Main Difference Between King Crab and Snow Crab
- King crab is larger in body size while snow crab is comparatively smaller in body size.
- King crabs have thicker and spiky legs making them difficult to handle while snow crabs have thinner legs making them easier to handle.
- King crabs are harvested within weeks hence not available while snow crabs are harvested for a long time hence available in the market.
- King crabs are expensive while snow crabs are cheaper.
- King crabs have a tender texture while snow crabs have a firm texture.
Similarities Between King Crab and Snow Crab
- They both have tender and flavorful meat.
- They both have the same culinary uses.
- Both are easily found.
- Both are typically cooked and flash frozen.
In Conclusion
King crab and snow crab are varieties of crab that are known for their taste and flavor. They are found in many groceries hence most people can easily find them.
However, the two are different from each other. King crab is larger in body size while snow crab is comparatively smaller in body size.
King crab has shorter, thick, and spiky legs which make it difficult to handle while snow crab has thinner legs which makes it easier to remove the shell from the flesh.
The main feature that makes king crab different from snow crab is the body size.
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