Menu

About the Crab Broker

Since 1994, The Crab Broker has supplied upscale restaurants, retailers, resorts and discriminating consumers with the best Alaska King Crab and Snow Crab. We market and sell four species of Alaska Crab, Florida Stone Crab, with Red King Crab being our signature crab. We are all about Crab so we put all our effort in supplying a consistently great crab. In 1994 we pioneered the shipping of fresh cooked, never frozen Alaska Red King Crab. Over the years we have expanded into frozen, along with shipping fresh cooked and frozen cooked Alaska Brown King Crab, Bairdi and Opilio Snow Crab. No one has the experience, knowledge, dedication and most importantly quality that we provide. We ship daily to restaurants via UPS, full truckloads and LTL, along with air shipping and containers loads to exports markets. We maintain inventory in order to ensure our customers with product year around. If you have one location or multiple locations across the U.S. we can deliver directly to each location as well. Every October and November we are in Dutch Harbor overlooking production of both fresh and frozen. No one else can make that statement. So if you’re tired of getting King Crab that is inconsistent, with different brands showing up at your door, salty tasting crab and a bunch of broken crab in your box, give us a call at 888-454-2722, it’ll be the best call you ever made!

Our Products

Red King Crab

Worldwide, the most popular, well-known and favorite crab! Read More

Brown King Crab

A great tasting crab that’s more economical than Red King Crab. Read More

Bairdi Snow Crab

Our favorite crab! Not as well known to many, but packed with a very sweet flavor, succulent and delicate texture. Read More

Opilio Snow Crab

The smallest of the crabs harvested in Alaska. Read More

Florida Stone Crab

Claws Only! A very popular crab amongst crab connoisseurs. Read More

Fresh King Crab

We offer all our crabs fresh cooked during their respective seasons. Shipped directly from the plant to you via UPS. Read More

Wholesale

Supplying fine restaurants, resorts, caterers and upscale retailers throughout the U.S. Read More

Home Delivery

For those foodies and crab lovers who want to enjoy great crab at home. Read More

Dock to Door Fresh Alaska Crab Program

For over 20 years, The Crab Broker has been delivering FRESH COOKED, never frozen Alaska Crab to the continental US. Beginning in late October when the first deliveries of the new season are landed in Dutch Harbor, Alaska we begin our fresh processing program. Depending on weather which affects the vessels and the planes, we ship FRESH NEVER FROZEN up to three times a week direct to your door. It doesn’t get any better or more quality control-driven than that.

Red King Crab

The season opens October 15th every year and we tend to see the first deliveries at the dock by around October 22nd-24th. The quota is determined by how long the season is open. We’ve had seasons where we ship six to seven weeks and others that have allowed us to only ship for two to four weeks.

Brown King Crab

The season starts August 15th and typically shuts down around Thanksgiving. If the quota hasn’t been caught by this time we can see some deliveries start back up in January.

Bairdi Snow Crab

We can see deliveries in November during the Red King Crab season and sometimes again in January, again, depending on quota and weather conditions.

Opilio Crab

We start to see deliveries the first half of January and depending on size of the quota and weather, that can stretch into March or April.

FRESH COOKED (NEVER FROZEN) ALASKA RED KING CRABS

We’ve taken the best crab in the world and raised the bar with fresh cooked Alaska Red King Crab. This remarkable tasting King Crab is only available fresh for a very short period of time each October-November. It will be the sweetest, most succulent crab you’ve ever eaten! It’s so fantastic that we strongly suggest serving it as is, cold……..and no butter!

The Crab Broker is the pioneer in shipping fresh cooked, never frozen Alaska Red King Crab. Since 1994 we have supplied restaurants, upscale retail stores, resorts, caterers and export markets throughout world. In 1996 we launched our “Dock to Door” program that we designed to deliver our Red King Crab to crab loving home foodies in consumer-friendly gift packs.

Fresh Cooked Alaska Red King Crab Gallery

Alaska Red King Crab

Since 1994, every October and November we are at the dock and in the plant in Dutch Harbor, Alaska to oversee the production of Red King Crab, from the first delivery till the last. You’ll be amazed of the sweet flavor and succulent texture of crab that is processed properly. We offer clusters and whole cooked crabs, both fresh during the season and frozen year-around. Crabs are delivered live, butchered into clusters, graded for clean shell, cooked, chilled, brine frozen and packed. And this is how we sell our crab! We don’t do any secondary processing! Once the crab is processed and packed, the next set of hands that touches the crab, is the customers. This is why we provide 100% traceability! Clusters are graded for clean shell appearance and range from 25 to 38 ounces.

Alaska Brown King Crab

Some people prefer Brown King Crab to Red King Crab. It’s sweet and succulent, but not as heavy and rich. It’s also smaller than Red King Crab. Just as versatile and delectable, Brown King Crab is a specialty fishery. Brown is more economical and is a great alternative to Red King Crab. Delivered and processed the exact way and in the same plant as all our Alaska crab is. The season opens August 1st and runs through May. Most of the deliveries hit the dock around late August through mid-November. We offer two size grades, clusters weighing 17 to 25 ounces and clusters weighing 25 to 32 ounces each. We offer fresh cooked during the season and frozen year-round.

Bairdi Snow Crab

It’s our favorite of all crabs! It has even a sweeter taste than Red King Crab, succulent and is a lot more delicate and lighter. Bairdi is the largest specie of the two species of Snow Crab harvested in Alaska. We offer clusters in two different sizes, 7 to 12 ounces per cluster, which will be larger than almost any Opilio Snow Crab and12 to 16 ounces per cluster, which will blow your customers away! Produced in the same plant as all our Alaska Crab! Bairdi availability this year was very limited due to a decreased quota.

Opilio Snow Crab

Opilio is the smallest of the two species of Snow Crab, Bairdi being the larger. Clusters are size graded in two weights. Clusters weighing 5 to 8 ounces and clusters that weigh 8 to 10 ounces each. Graded for clean shell appearance and then cooked, chilled and frozen properly, producing a sweet flavor and succulent texture. Though the legal opening of the season begins October 15th, boats are busy catching Red King Crab so deliveries start hitting the dock around mid to late October and runs through March and early April. We offer fresh cooked clusters during the season and frozen year around. Produced in the same plant as all our Alaska Crab! SOLD OUT

Florida Stone Crab

From Tarpon Springs, Florida comes our Stone Crab claws. Season opens October 15th and runs until May 15th. Claws are graded for clean shell appearance, meat fill and size. Cooked in the late afternoon and evening, then pre-chilled, packed and shipped the following morning. We offer the following sizes of claws. Medium – 6 to 7 claws per pound Large – 4 to 5 claws per pound Jumbo – 2 to 3 claws per pound We offer fresh cooked during the season.

Wholesale

For restaurants, caterers, resorts and upscale retailers, we ship UPS overnight directly to your business and for large orders we can also ship full truckloads or LTL. We ship UPS Mondays through Thursdays with deliveries Tuesdays through Fridays. Our clusters are packed in 25-lb. and 40-lb. boxes. If you have multiple locations we can ship to each individual address. If you’d like to stay informed and receive our CRAB ALERT, click here to get on our mailing list. When we’re shipping fresh cooked during the various seasons, the CRAB ALERT is really the only way to stay informed of order and delivery schedules!

Home Delivery

We offer smaller packs for home foodies, ranging from 5-lb. to 40-lb. boxes. Delivered overnight by UPS. To keep in touch with specials, promotions and the various crab seasons, we suggest joining our CRAB CLUB by clicking here. To place an order or inquiries, call 888-454-2722. We like to talk to our customers and answer any questions you may have. We ship UPS Mondays through Thursdays with deliveries Tuesdays through Fridays.

Photo Gallery

We Are Different

When Only The Best Will Do!

The Crab Broker supplies Genuine Alaska Crab to restaurants, resorts and retailers throughout the United States and our international markets.
  • 100 percent Genuine Alaska Crab
  • Product Form – Our clusters provide a 100 percent usable yield unlike traditional leg and claw packs or split legs.
  • Perfectly Processed – Our shore-based plant in Dutch Harbor, Alaska allows us unlimited access to fresh water giving our clients a finished product with a flavor profile that can’t be duplicated.
  • Sustainability - The assurance and confidence that you are serving crab from the only sustainable Red King Crab fishery in the world.
  • Total Traceability – We provide 100 percent traceability. Each box is labeled showing the F/V (boat) that harvested the Crab and the date it was processed.
  • Consistency – Our crab is processed in one plant in Dutch Harbor, providing consistent quality year after year for every pound and every box.

Perfectly Processed

There are three processing methods used for processing Crab which include the Catcher Processor (CP), floating processor and shore plants. CP’s are vessels that harvest, cook, freeze and pack on board. Floating processors are barges that follow fisheries and process on board. Our shore-based plant in Dutch Harbor, Alaska allows us access to unlimited fresh water, which we use in three separate tanks on our crab line. In the first two examples, seawater is the primary component of the processing line and usually the sole water used in cooking and chilling of the crab. In both of these instances, the lack of available space inhibits the massive amount of refrigeration needed to properly pre-chill and freeze the product.

Genuine Alaska Red King Crab

Red King Crab is harvested in three primary areas, Alaska, Russia and Norway. Russia is by far the largest supplier of Red King Crab to the US market. In addition there are three species of King Crab which include Red, Blue and Golden. Red is the premier specie of the three, and the Alaska Red King Crab is the Rolls Royce of the industry. Since Red King Crab is a cooked product, it does not fall under the COOL law dictating country of origin. This in and of itself affords the opportunity for domestic packers to blend species and Crab from various origins in a box that says “Packed in USA”, it doesn’t say “Product of USA” or “Product of Alaska”.

Why Clusters

When the whole live crab is butchered, the carapace is removed and crab is split in half. Each half has a claw and three legs attached to the shoulder/knuckle, which is a cluster. So one crab produces two clusters. The most common product form of Red King Crab sold in the US market is single leg and claw. In this pack, the industry standard is 10 percent broken or Shake. This practice has several economic and quality-diminishing consequences associated with it. First, the net usable yield of the pack is conservatively 10 percent less than the gross weight. Secondly, this affords the packer the opportunity to blend species of Crab and different origins to meet the desired price point of the customer. Blend Blue with Red, and the packer cuts its cost by 30-50 percent. If they throw in a bunch of feeder claws it cuts the costs even further. A Red King Crab has six legs and two claws. Therefore, for every six legs, there should be two claws, one feeder claw and one crusher claw. Rarely will you see a crusher claw in a leg and claw pack as packers cherry pick them out to sell as a separate item. THERE IS NO BROKEN CRAB PACKED IN OUR BOX. Additionally, the harvesting vessel, processing day and time are stamped on every box of our Crab, thus ensuring 100 percent product traceability.

The ONLY sustainable Red King Crab Fishery in the World

This precious Alaskan resource is strictly monitored by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) using a sustainable-yield principle. The Crab Broker follows their sustainability requirements throughout the entire process from its on shore-base plant in Dutch Harbor.

Fish, forests, wildlife, grasslands and all other replenishable resources belonging to the State shall be utilized, developed and maintained on the sustainable yield principle. Alaska State Constitution Article 8. January 3, 1959.
  • ADF&G never allows more then 15 percent of the legal size male crab in the biomass to be harvested. Not 15 percent of the male crab and not 15 percent of the entire biomass, but 15 percent of the LEGAL SIZED MALE crab.
  • ADF&G also requires that one panel of mesh on every crab pot be tied with biodegradable twine so that in the event the pot is lost while crabbing the twine will rot, the panel will drop and all of the Crab will walk out unharmed.
  • Alaska is exclusively a male only crab fishery with a minimum 6.5” carapace measurement. Any crab that measures less than 6.5” must be returned to the sea. This measurement requirement ensures that the Crab has spawned at least two times since reaching sexual maturity.
  • It is illegal to retain a juvenile or female Crab in Alaska.
Russian fisheries use fishing gear with mesh sizes smaller than legal Snow Crab mesh in Alaska to intentionally retain every single crab regardless of sex and size. Small mesh insures that small crab cannot escape the pot. In Norway, the law requires that EVERY crab harvested must be retained regardless of sex and size.

Numbers Don't Lie!

Are You Actually Getting Alaska Red King Crab? Consumption of King Crab in the USA exceeds 40 million pounds per year of finished product. In the past ten years, the quota for Alaska Red King Crab has averaged 14.5 million pounds of LIVE crab. In the past three years it has averaged 8 million pounds. If every single pound was processed into clusters with an estimated recovery percentage of 64 percent (from live crab to frozen cooked clusters), the total pounds of clusters would be 5.1 million. Japan - the biggest customer for Alaska Red King Crab - bought approximately 3.3 million pounds (65 percent of the total 5.1 million pounds processed). This leaves a balance of 1.8 million pounds for the rest of the world, not just the U.S. market. Subtract an additional 500,000 pounds that The Crab Broker purchased and the total is reduced to 1.3 million pounds. With yearly U.S. consumption of 40 million pounds that means that Alaska Red King Crab is supplying less than 4 percent of U.S. usage. Pretty amazing that the majority of Crab supplied to the U.S. is substandard offshore product.

Our Crab VS Imported Crab

Does it make sense to buy imported crab?

Quality Control Measure Crab Broker Russian
Sustainable Fishery YES NO
Traceability YES NO
Legal "Male Only" Fishery YES NO
Consistent Quality YES NO
100% Usable Crab YES NO
Consistent Great Meat Fill YES NO

COMMON QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

What You Need To Know When Purchasing Quality Crab For Your Restaurant

Why don't you produce a leg and claw pack?

We are in the business of making you and your guests happy. Our program gives each and every customer a 100 percent usable case of Crab. There is zero shake in our pack. The last time that anyone touched your crab was when it was raw and packed into the cooking cage in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. You are literally the first person to touch it since it was raw. Our case yields a net 40 pounds with gross weight of 44-45 pounds. You are getting what you pay for.

Why do some of the clusters have darker scarring on the bottom of the legs?

The darker scars on the crabs is caused when the animal is walking along the ocean bottom. Scarring on the shell is an indicator that the Crab was a skip molt, which means it did not shed its shell. This is actually beneficial, as skip molts have a greater infill of meat due to the Crab not molting.

How do I make single legs out of a cluster?

It is very simple to turn a cluster into single legs. Simply separate each leg individually up at the shoulder. This can be accomplished in a matter of seconds with bare hands.

How do I serve crab to make it easy for my guests?

Instead of serving the legs whole, begin at the toe of the leg and separate at each joint going up the leg. This method will remove the tendon from the next section. With a pair of kitchen shears you can make one cut lengthwise on the smaller sections and two or more cuts crosswise on the larger sections. This provides easy access as your guests can just push the meat out with a cocktail fork. Be creative and stack your pieces of Crab up on the plate for a cool presentation. Just because everyone else has been putting whole legs on a plate forever doesn’t mean it’s the smartest way. Have your prep cooks cut, weigh and bag your crab for easy plating during service.

I've always served split legs, I can't possibly change!

Think about what you are doing and consider the quality of the Crab. Yes the meat is exposed for easy access, but the guest has to fight to separate the meat from the tendon in each of the split legs. Additionally the exposure of the meat in the freezer gets dehydrated.

I always buy 6/9 counts, that's what I've always served.

First you sell Crab by the weight, not by the piece. A pound is a pound. How many times have you cut open a big leg and saw a small piece of meat and lots of empty space? Why not consider quality and sustainability over wow factor? Impress them with great Crab not a big shell. You’ll also be ahead economically because all of the space in the shell fills with water during processing and then freezes. Your highest drip loss is with Crab that has poor infill.

What's the best way to handle my crab?

Keep your Crab in the case and pull it out a day before it’s needed. Thaw your product in your cooler under refrigeration. Never thaw your Crab at room temperature or under water in the sink.

I love the crab but I'll have to sell it for $60 or it will ruin my food cost!

Forget the percentage and think about profit. Would you rather sell a pasta dish with a 20 percent food cost and bank $7, or sell one pound of Crab to the same guest at a 50 percent food cost and bank $20+? You will have to sell three pasta dishes to equal the profit of one pound of Crab.

Contact Information

CORPORATE OFFICE

T (702) 212-8498 / F (702) 212-8352

 

Debbie George | President

Accounting / Sales debbie@crabbroker.com

Lois Barrie

Inventory Control / Logistics / Sales lois@crabbroker.com

Danny George

Sales C (702) 400-9148 crabbroker@gmail.com

EAST COAST OFFICE

Sarasota, FL

 

Eric Donaldson | Vice-President

Sales / Buyer / Marketing T (941) 926-1062 / F (941) 926-1063 / C (941) 266-8461 eric@crabbroker.com

Latest News

COMING SOON!

September 10, 2014
  805

BAN RUSSIAN KING CRAB

September 2, 2014
  483

ARE YOU SERVING RUSSIAN KING CRAB?

August 23, 2014
  492

FRESH ALASKA RED KING CRAB

August 7, 2014
  909

July 10, 2014
  473

July 10, 2014
  474

Follow Us!