Crab. The most common types of crab caught commercially in Europe are the common brown European crab and the spider crab, which can be great wanderers, moving tens, if not hundreds, of miles during a year, from feeding to spawning grounds. Baited pots are used for capture, often far from the shore. Spider crabs only provide meat from the legs but it is of very high quality. A fresh whole crab should be heavy for its size and there should be no sound of water sloshing around in it. The shell must be perfectly entire with no cracks or holes. Break the top from the rest and spoon out the brown meat. Discard the feathery gills and the small stomach sac. Crack open the legs and extract the white meat from the claws.
