USA American Blue Crab Meat is packed in containers as fresh or pasteurized and is available in the following forms:·
           Lump: The largest pieces from the body portion adjacent to the back fin.  Use in recipes where appearance is important.·
          Back fin:  White body meat consisting of lump and flakes.  Pieces are smaller than lump, but can be substituted as lump meat.·
          Special:  Flakes of white body meat other than lump:  Good in crab cakes, soups, casseroles and dips.· 

          Claw:  Meat from the claws that is more brownish in color.  Good in soups, crab balls and dips.
     Pasteurized USA American Blue Crab is sold in hermetically sealed cans; with no preservatives or additives.  The one exception is machine-picked claw meat, which uses a salt solution to separate the meat from the shell.  Pasteurized USA American Blue Crab will last up to six months when properly stored unopened in the coldest part of your refrigerator (usually the lowest shelf at the back or in the meat keeper) at 32°f.  Once opened, use within three days.  Pasteurized crabmeat can be purchased year round.

     Fresh USA American Blue Crab is sold in plastic containers.  It should be on ice or in the coldest part of your refrigerator and used within seven to ten days.

Freezing USA American Blue Crab is not recommended, as the delicate flavor is lost easily when the product is frozen. 

     Try adding USA American Blue Crab to Salads.  It is best in salads that allow the delicate flavor of the meat to come through.  Mix blue crab with celery, slivered almonds, green onions, fresh pineapple and mayonnaise (or ½ mayonnaise and ½ sour cream) for a delightful main dish luncheon salad.

Add to gumbos and soups at the end, and continue cooking only until heated through.
     USA American Blue Crab is also good in pasta dishes.