14 Crab Recipes You'll Want to Add to Your Warm-Weather Repertoire

Sweet, tender crabmeat is always a treat, whether it's Dungeness, king crab, or snow crab from the Pacific; stone crabs from Florida; or Maryland's famous blue crabs, in both hard-shell and soft-shell varieties. You can buy live crabs and steam them at home, buy pre-steamed whole crabs, or crab legs at the seafood counter. Pre-shelled crabmeat is available in several different varieties, graded according to the size of the chunks of meat.

From highest to lowest, the grades are: colossal, jumbo lump, lump, special, back fin, and claw fingers. Soft-shell crabs are those that have recently molted, and whose exoskeleton is still soft and edible. Once cleaned, soft-shell crabs are eaten whole.

Now that you know your way around different varieties of crab, apply your knowledge when preparing our favorite summer crab recipes. For starters (literally!), prepare a twist on a classic hot crab dip with our recipes for Hot-Crab and Pimiento-Cheese Spread and Hot Crab-and-Oyster Dip. Both use a couple of unexpected ingredients for next-level flavor that will be a pleasant surprise as you mix and mingle with friends. Other appetizers that are sure to be a hit include fried crab croquettes, which are extra creamy thanks to mashed potatoes, and showstopping Alaska King-Crab Legs with Meyer Lemon-Miso Butter.

If you want to make crab the main event, prepare crab rolls and serve them atop bright green bibb lettuce and a warm bun. Or start your day off with our Crab-and-Avocado Eggs Benedict. Whichever recipe you choose to recreate, you'll be feeling anything but crabby after noshing on your favorite summertime seafood.