Crab

kani

Whatever the local variety may be, in a sushi shop, crab is always served cooked and referred to as kani. The “California roll,” an invention originally created for American palates, uses cooked crabmeat, avocado, and mayonnaise in an inside-out roll sushi. If the thought of buying a live crab and boiling it whole is too daunting, buy a ready-boiled or, better still, a dressed crab for making sushi at home.

Cooked crab

It takes some effort to extract the meat from a cooked crab. Only white crabmeat is used for sushi.

AVAILABILITY

Crab is available all over the world, but local varieties are often best for freshness and flavor. Different crabs have different spawning seasons, so some may be best in the summer while others are best in the winter—ask your fishmonger what’s in season. Frozen white crabmeat can be used for sushi, but beware of “crab sticks,” which are often made with cheap, processed fish, not crab.

SUSTAINABILITY

Make sure the crab you buy is the minimum landing size for its species—smaller ones will be immature. Avoid egg-bearing females as well. Pots or traps are the most sustainable catch methods, as they reduce habitat damage and bycatch.