Crabs arrive live at the processing plant, then inspected, cleaned, washed and shells removed. Crabs then go through a process of pasteurization, which is simply applying a special heat treatment to the crabmeat and sealing it in an airtight container. Approved crabs are cooked at 250 degrees and placed in a cooler room until they stop steaming. This can take up to 2 hours. Cooled crabs are opened and the meat is picked by hand into metal cans. In the packing room, the cans are checked, weighed and hermetically sealed. During the final pasteurization process, the can of picked meat is heated in a water bath and then quickly cooled in a ice slush. The finished product is stored under refrigeration until shipped.

Pasteurization makes the crabmeat 100% bacteria free. If refrigerated, pasteurized
crabmeat remains fresh for 6 – 12 months unopened. Once cans have been opened,
crabmeat should be used within 3 days. Pasteurized crabmeat is already
cooked and should be carefully re-heated to prevent toughness

Colossal crab meat comes from the connector muscles of the swimming fins of the larger crabs. They are firm, extra large moist nuggets of crab meat. It is often considered the king of the crab meat. When appearance is everything, colossal is your choice. Make the ultimate crab cocktail, gourmet crab cakes. Jumbo Lump is prized for its impressive size, bright white color and exquisite taste. Firm, large and shell free.

Colossal crab meat comes from the connector muscles of the swimming fins of the larger crabs. They are firm, extra large moist nuggets of crab meat. It is often considered the
king of the crab meat. When appearance is everything, colossal is your choice. Make the ultimate crab cocktail, gourmet crab cakes .

Jumbo Lump consists of the two large muscles connected to the swimming fins of the crab. It is perfect for cocktails, sauces or any preparation where the lump can be the star.

Super Lump is a blend of firm, thick and long pieces of white muscle crabmeat from the backfin, large pieces of body meat and broken jumbo lump. With larger pieces of meat than the lump, it gives the extra bite that your recipes need. It is the perfect size for salads, soups, casseroles and crab cakes.

Lump is a blend of broken jumbo lump and special crab meat from the body. Considered to be the sweetest crab meat the pieces are
smaller than the jumbo lump crab meat but can be used in some of the
same recipes. Lump crab meat is great for quiche, crab cakes, crab imperial, crab salads.

Special is often considered the most versatile grade of crabmeat for the widest range of recipes. It is finely shredded smaller pieces of white meat from the body of the crab. A great way to add filler to your crab cakes while keeping the crab flavor. Consider using in dips, soups, chowder, stuffing and casserole.

Claw meat is picked from the swimming fins of the crab. Meat from the claw has a brownish color and considered the most flavorful crab meat. The stronger crab flavor makes claw meat perfect for your heavy sauces and dishes with robust flavor profiles. Try claw meat in your gumbos, chowders, stuffing, deviled crab and croquettes.