Editing Crab (section)

===Crabs as food===
{{Cookbook|Crab}}{{see also|Crab meat|List of crab dishes}}
[[File:Crabmasala.jpg|thumb|right|Crab [[masala (spice)|masala]] from [[Karnataka]], [[India]]|alt=Photo of cooked crab in bowl of soup]]
Crabs are prepared and eaten as a dish in many different ways all over the world. Some species can be eaten whole, including the shell, as [[soft-shell crab]]s; with other species, just the claws or legs are eaten. The latter is particularly common for larger crabs, such as the [[snow crab]]. In many cultures, the [[roe]] of the female crab is also eaten, which usually appears orange or yellow in fertile crabs. This is popular in Southeast Asian cultures, some Mediterranean and Northern European cultures, and on the East, [[Chesapeake Bay|Chesapeake]], and Gulf Coasts of the United States.

In some regions, spices improve the culinary experience. In [[Southeast Asia]] and the [[Indosphere]], [[spice mix|masala]] crab and [[chilli crab]] are examples of heavily spiced dishes. In the Chesapeake Bay region, blue crab is often steamed with [[Old Bay Seasoning]]. Alaskan king crab or snow crab legs are usually simply boiled and served with garlic or lemon butter.

[[File:Kobako crab sushi (32301286552).jpg|thumb|[[Sushi]] with crab meat and eggs]]
For the British dish [[Cancer pagurus#Cookery|dressed crab]], the [[crab meat]] is extracted and placed inside the hard shell. One American way to prepare crab meat is by extracting it and adding varying amounts of binders, such as egg white, cracker meal, mayonnaise, or mustard, creating a [[crab cake]].  Crabs can also be made into a [[bisque (food)|bisque]], a global dish of French origin which in its authentic form includes in the broth the pulverized shells of the shellfish from which it is made.

[[Crab stick|Imitation crab]], also called [[surimi]], is made from minced fish meat that is crafted and colored to resemble crab meat. While it is sometimes disdained among some elements of the culinary industry as an unacceptably low-quality substitute for real crab, this does not hinder its popularity, especially as a sushi ingredient in Japan and South Korea, and in home cooking, where cost is often a chief concern.<ref name="New York Times">Daniel P. Puzo (February 14, 1985) [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-02-14-fo-2740-story.html Imitation Crab Draws Criticisms]. ''Los Angeles Times''</ref> Indeed, surimi is an important source of protein in most East and Southeast Asian cultures, appearing in staple ingredients such as fish balls and fish cake.