Lump Crab meat vs White Crab Meat (Which should you buy?)
I want to cook with crab meat in the off season, which limits me to snow crab from the deli and canned crab. If you’re reading this, you’re probably in the same spot I was looking all the canned crab and wondering which type to pick. The main choices are lump crab meat and white meat. First off, what’s the difference?
Lump crab meat has a more complete taste of both the savory taste from the white meat (found in the crab’s body) and the sweeter taste with firmer meat (found in the claws). It comes in bite-sized chunks that looks more appetizing. White crab meat is flakier that’s better mixed in with dishes.
Take a look of the image below to see the difference between white and lump crab meat for yourself. The meat on the left is white crab meat and the meat on the right is lump crab meat.
White crab meat is best used as crab filling.
White crab meat is less visually appealing as lump crab meat, but perfect as crab filling. Use it if you need a solid amount of crab for crab dip, crab rangoon, crab burgers, or crab meatloaf. It’s better for dishes where crab is mixed in and not for dishes that need larger chunks of crab.
Lump crab meat is more visually appealing and chunkier.
If you want a dish where you enjoy finding chunks of delicious crab, use lump crab meat. Lump crab meat is much better for crab cakes than white crab meat. It gives a more diverse taste of both shell and claw meat, which bring different textures and flavors.
I recommend Bumble Bee canned crab!
If you’re interested in cooking with canned crab, keep an eye out for the Bumble Bee brand in your local grocery store. You can save money by buying them in bulk on Amazon, which you can check out for yourself (Affiliate Link).
