Venezuelan crabmeat is currently unavailable due to conservation closures. These closures will last for the next few months, and we should start to see this crabmeat back on the market in November or December. For now, we have decided to bring in pasteurized Columbian crabmeat to replace the Venezuelan, which has about a 12-month shelf life. This pasteurized crabmeat is the same species we have here in the Chesapeake Bay, and as the Venezuelan Blue Crab, making this new product a great substitute until conservation efforts are completed.

This species is the Atlantic Blue Crab, which is native to the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Harvested from the Gulf, our Columbian crabmeat is landed and picked in Columbia, and then goes through a pasteurization process until it’s canned in 1# increments. Although canned, pasteurized crab meat will need to be refrigerated until use. The meat offers buttery, rich, and sweet flavors with a mild hint of brine and should provide an almost sweet, ocean-like smell when fresh. Our purchasing team has brought in lump and jumbo lump for our customers to try out. We have also had our sales staff take a can home for product research before we decided to put this on our market! We stand by the quality and taste of this product, so check this out for your crabmeat menu items and retail displays, your customers won’t be disappointed.