A little reason to celebrate
National Crabmeat Day
Food ยท March 9
A food day for crabmeat, the sweet, delicate meat picked from crab shells and used in crab cakes, salads, dips and simple buttered rolls.
National Crabmeat Day falls on Tuesday, March 9, 2027. That is 133 days away.
Crabmeat is the tender white and brownish meat picked from the body and legs of a crab. It has a mild, slightly sweet flavor and a soft, flaky texture, which is why cooks tend to treat it gently and keep other ingredients out of its way.
Getting to it takes patience. A whole cooked crab hides its meat in narrow chambers and thin-walled legs, and picking one clean is slow work with a small fork, a mallet and a pile of napkins. Many people skip that step and buy crabmeat already picked, sold fresh in tubs, pasteurized in sealed containers, or canned. Shops often sort it by grade, with large whole pieces from the body called lump and smaller shreds sold as claw or flake meat.
Along American coasts, crabmeat shows up in crab cakes bound with just enough crumbs to hold together, in cold salads with a little mayonnaise and lemon, in warm creamy dips, and piled into toasted rolls with melted butter. It also turns up in soups, omelets and stuffed mushrooms. Recipes that use it well usually add very little: a squeeze of citrus, some herbs, maybe a pinch of seafood seasoning.
Marking the day can be as easy as making one of those dishes at home or ordering a crab cake somewhere that takes them seriously. Those who want the full experience can sit down with a whole steamed crab and pick it themselves, which tends to turn a meal into a long conversation. Lump meat is the pricier grade, so the claw meat is the one people tend to stir into dips and soups.
Ways to celebrate
- Try making crab cakes with only a little binder.
- Pick a whole steamed crab and see how much meat you get.
- Toss crabmeat with lemon and herbs on a simple salad.
- Compare lump and claw crabmeat side by side.
- Share a warm crab dip with friends or neighbors.
Dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Monday, March 9 |
| 2027 | Tuesday, March 9 |
| 2028 | Thursday, March 9 |
| 2029 | Friday, March 9 |
| 2030 | Saturday, March 9 |
Also on March 9
Categories: Food days