The Alaska King Crab or Paralithodes camtschatica has a lifespan of up to 20 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration. At maturity, male crabs weigh from 4 to 9 lbs., with females weighing slightly less. This species, also called red king crab, is the largest of all king crabs. The flavorful meat is available in the lower 48 states year-round because the processors steam and freeze king crab before shipping. Once you thaw them, you have low-calorie protein source that is ready to eat.
Geography
Alaska's Bristol Bay is the largest king crab fishing ground, producing 27.2 million pounds in 2008, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian Islands and the Sea of Okhotsk also have healthy king crab populations. Sustainable fishing practices and aquaculture initiatives keep the supply of crab at its peak.
Features
The main king crab fishing season is only five months long, according to Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. The crab fishing months include October and November, along with January through March. Crabs trapped in fishing pots must have bodies that measure at least 6.5 inches wide to be legal catch. Normally, they take four years to reach this size.
Calorie Profile
Since all crab sold in the U.S. is wild-caught, the legs vary in size, once removed from the shell, standard portion of king crab is 3 oz. It has 82 calories that contains 65 percent water. The protein content is 16.5 g, the cholesterol content is 45 mg and the total fat is 1.31 g.
Nutrients
A 3-oz. serving has 238 mg of phosphorus, 223 mg of potassium, 54 g of magnesium, 50 mg of calcium, 6.48 g of zinc and 1 g of copper. It also has 0.65 g iron, 34 mcg of selenium and a trace amount of manganese. A 3-oz. serving also has 911 mg of sodium. King crab has 6.5 mg of vitamin C, 25 international units of vitamin A, 1.1 g of niacin, 9.78 mcg of vitamin B-12, along with trace amounts of vitamin B-6, folate, pantothenic acid, riboflavin and thiamin.
Significance
A serving of king crab provides 163 percent of the daily value of B-12, 43 percent of the zinc DV and 10 percent of the DV of vitamin C for a 2,000-calorie diet. The cholesterol content is only 15 percent of the DV, but the sodium content is 38 percent of the DV. If you consume several large king crab legs at one meal, you can easily surpass 2,400 mg, the upper limit for sodium intake.
Member Comments