Spider crab, spider crab...

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Spider crab, spider crab...
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jamanda
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Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Mon Jun 04, 12 2:22 pm Post subject:

Nick wrote:

Am I right that it's only the legs you eat on a spider crab?

Remember seeing hundreds landed for export in Cornwall and Wales as a kid. Haven't seen one for years.

No! There's loads of lovely brown meat in the shell. There's not much in the legs.

Northern Boy

Joined: 04 Oct 2010
Posts: 976

Posted: Mon Jun 04, 12 7:03 pm Post subject:

Moniar wrote:

Northern Boy

I fancy a go for them spider crabs - plenty of them around Cardigan Bay - is there a special type of net you use for them? I have got a couple of the cheap prawn pots which have had eater crabs in them along with a 7 lb bull huss on one occasion. I intend trying a bit harder for the lobster and crab this summer off the kayak whilst I spin for bass.

I use hoop nets which I bought with me when I moved back from the US. I think here in the UK we have 'drop nets' which are similar, but mine have a much bigger mesh size which lets the dinks out. They don't get trapped until you lift the nets tho, so you have to lift them every 20-60 mins to see what's happening. Tbh that's half the fun for me, seeing the shapes forming as I lift the net from the gloom.

I did put out a string (well, two) of those collapsible prawn pots when we were out last week and when I lifted them (after 5h) they were full of spider crabs, but all bar one were too small. There were a couple of monsters clinging to the outside as I lifted them but they dropped off as I lifted them to the surface. I think they're best left overnight to get the lobsters and brown crabs.

Northern Boy

Joined: 04 Oct 2010
Posts: 976

Posted: Mon Jun 04, 12 7:05 pm Post subject:

Jamanda wrote:

Nick wrote:

Am I right that it's only the legs you eat on a spider crab?

Remember seeing hundreds landed for export in Cornwall and Wales as a kid. Haven't seen one for years.

No! There's loads of lovely brown meat in the shell. There's not much in the legs.

My god yes, the brown 'meat' is amazing, basically Crab Butter. I always find that I get a decent amount of white meat from inside the shells as well.

fungi2bwith

Joined: 08 Nov 2007
Posts: 167
Location: NE Hants

Posted: Mon Jun 04, 12 8:31 pm Post subject:

When fishing off-shore of Folkstone some years ago I hooked a dead weight, which the skipper was convinced was a cod, I was certain it wasn't a fish but was pleasantly suprised when the biggest spider crab I have ever seen surfaced. It weighed almost 6lb. You try finding a pot to boil that in! It tasted great. Some fresh with mayonaise while still warm, some of the brown meat to make a pasta source the next day and lots of crab cakes for the freezer. better than a cod any day.

Garry

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46207
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 12 10:24 am Post subject:
ace tasty critters i have used a X frame of two sticks with sliding nooses and bait ,drop in ,wait for twitching ,pull ,very effective , good shore spots are off rocks into deep water with a sandy bed or forage at very low tide , not as pinchy as lobsters or big edible crabs but they can nip a bit and biguns are quite strong

Moniar

Joined: 26 Jan 2009
Posts: 152
Location: Lampeter, west Wales

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 12 11:16 am Post subject:

Cheers - will see what is available locally - there is a firm in Aberystwyth making pots so I will see what they have to offer.

Northern Boy wrote:

Moniar wrote:

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 12 1:08 pm Post subject:
Pasta with crab sauce for tea. And the debris has gone in the freezer to become a bisque at some point. I'd like to have a heroic fishing anecdote but Jamanda just bought the crab at the fishmonger in Barnstaple this morning.

Northern Boy

Joined: 04 Oct 2010
Posts: 976

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 12 1:24 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

Pasta with crab sauce for tea. And the debris has gone in the freezer to become a bisque at some point.
I'd like to have a heroic fishing anecdote but Jamanda just bought the crab at the fishmonger in Barnstaple this morning.

You could just make one up. Would seem appropriate for a fishing anecdote.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 12 1:31 pm Post subject:
There were quite a few pieces of spider crabs on the beach this morning, and a rather lively velvet swimmer that seemed to want me for dinner. I did manage to catch a fish in the sea with my bare hands though, put him back as he was only an inch or two long.

Northern Boy

Joined: 04 Oct 2010
Posts: 976

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 12 1:53 pm Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

There were quite a few pieces of spider crabs on the beach this morning, and a rather lively velvet swimmer that seemed to want me for dinner.

I did manage to catch a fish in the sea with my bare hands though, put him back as he was only an inch or two long.

How are you getting on with the shrimp net? We bagged hundreds last month, but were really disappointed with the taste.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 12 1:55 pm Post subject:
I think that prawns are more worth the effort than shrimps. IMHO. I'm going to change my spider crab story and claim that Jamanda won it in a knife fight. Hah, beat that with your nets and kayaks.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 12 2:38 pm Post subject:

Northern Boy wrote:

Treacodactyl wrote:

How are you getting on with the shrimp net? We bagged hundreds last month, but were really disappointed with the taste.

I've not used it since I last mentioned, the weather's been a bit too 'orrible to get out much and I've been rod fishing. I caught a mighty 8 inch bass the other day, swiftly returned of course.

Knife wielding teachers are always a danger down here though.

jamanda
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Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 12 2:38 pm Post subject:

Northern Boy

Joined: 04 Oct 2010
Posts: 976

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 12 2:43 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

I think that prawns are more worth the effort than shrimps. IMHO.

I'm going to change my spider crab story and claim that Jamanda won it in a knife fight. Hah, beat that with your nets and kayaks.

My kayak is in fact the hollowed out skin of a Great White Shark that I killed with my bare hands (knives are for wimps). I wove the blood vessels of the shark into a net which I then used to catch the crabs. Using the sharks brain as bait.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 12 11:36 pm Post subject:
Well how ever it was procured the spidercrab pasta sauce was very good - and we discovered that this year's batch of chillies are rather good and that's with them them still green!

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