What is a she-crab?

Question: What is a she-crab?

Spring she-crabs carry flavorful roe or crab eggs

Answer: Just as you might suspect, she-crabs are simply female crabs.

Some recipes specify spring she-crabs (because the crab roe adds more flavor), so you will need to be able to tell females from males. Luckily, this is easy to do, and you will not need a magnifying glass. Simply look at the underside of the crab.

As you will see from the graphic, the female has a broad, triangular-shaped area in the center of the shell, whereas the male has a distinctive, elongated spire in the center.

More About Crabs and Crab Recipes:

• Crab Selection and Storage
• What is a she-crab? FAQ
• Crab Varieties
• Crab Terminology
• Peekytoe Crabs
• Crabs and Health
• Crab History
• Crab Recipes
_{Crab Photos © 2008 Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, licensed to About.com, Inc.}