How to Catch Asian Shore Crabs
Asian shore crabs are small striped-legged invasive crabs overrunning rocky Northeast shores - too little to pick but abundant and guilt-free to gather for a rich seafood stock, while removing an invader.
Asian shore crabs are invasive - never release or transport them live to new waters. Gather only from clean, open water. Too small to pick; use whole for stock. Shellfish is a serious allergen; cook thoroughly.
The Asian shore crab is the newest invader of the Northeast rocky shore - a small, square-shelled crab with distinctively banded legs that has exploded in numbers, crowding out native crabs and grazing down shellfish beds. Like the green crab, it is too little to pick for meat, but that same abundance makes it a guilt-free gather: crush a bucketful whole into a rich seafood stock, and you thin an invasive while you are at it.
Why go for them
Two reasons, both good: a limitless, unregulated supply of crabs for stock, and the satisfaction of removing an aggressive invasive that harms native shore life. There is no meat worth picking, but simmered whole they give a sweet, deep crab stock, and almost nowhere protects them, so you can gather freely.
Where and when to find them
Asian shore crabs blanket rocky intertidal shores, jetties, tide pools and cobble beaches of the US Northeast, hiding under rocks and weed at low tide in enormous numbers. Gather them on a falling or low tide in the warmer months, when you can turn rocks and reach their hiding spots.
How to catch them
Turn rocks by hand at low tide and scoop the crabs into a bucket - they are so abundant a short session fills it. Wear gloves against the pinch and sharp rock. Because they are invasive, take as many as you like, but never carry them live to uninvaded water.
Handling, cleaning and cooking
Keep them cold and cook them the day you gather them. Rather than picking, blanch or steam them, then crush the whole crabs and simmer into a stock, straining out the shell - a base for bisque, chowder and pasta sauces, exactly as with green crabs.
Safety and the law
Because they are invasive, most areas have no season or limit and encourage removal, but never move live crabs to uninvaded water. Gather only from clean, certified-safe water, cook thoroughly, and remember shellfish is a serious allergen. See our shellfish safety guide.