Cooked Maryland Claws

Cooked Maryland Claws are a byproduct of our steamed Maryland blue crab operation in Crisfield, Maryland. As crabs are processed, claws come off naturally or are set aside during quality control when a crab is damaged but the claw is still intact and salvageable. They are steamed and seasoned with our in-house crab seasoning, the same way we do our whole blue crabs.

They are sold in 2 pound bags with no size grade. You get a mix of claw sizes that reflects the range of crabs we process, from large down to small. Because the claws come straight off our Maryland blue crab line, sourcing follows the same standards as our steamed blue crabs. We buy as many crabs as we can from Maryland, we are True Blue Certified (at least 75 percent of our crab products processed or harvested in Maryland, with up to 25 percent from other United States waters), and everything is domestic. No imported or foreign crab.

High in protein, low in calories, and zero carbs. A full 2 pound (32 oz) bag works out to roughly 200 calories, 40g protein, 2g fat, 180mg cholesterol, and 640mg sodium.

Put the claws in the refrigerator as soon as they arrive. Place them in a sealed container so the crab aroma does not spread through your fridge. Use within 3 to 5 days of receipt.

We do not recommend freezing. Freezing causes the meat to stick to the shell, while properly handled fresh claws let the meat slide out naturally. Fresh claws should have a neutral, pleasant seafood smell. If the meat turns slimy or develops a foul odor, it is past its prime.

These claws are already fully cooked, so there is nothing to cook from raw. Most customers eat them cold, straight from the shell. To eat one, snap the claw at the base and pull the meat out. They are great with cocktail sauce, vinegar, melted butter, or plain.

If you would rather have them warm, steam them for about 5 minutes over actively boiling water, just long enough to warm the meat through. Do not over-steam. The goal is to warm and moisten, not to cook the claws again.