No, Christmas Island red crabs are not edible; they are a protected species, have poor quality meat (mostly water, tough, bitter), and their diet can include toxic plants, making them unpalatable and potentially unsafe, despite their large numbers during migration. While not poisonous in the way some other crabs are, their meat is considered undesirable, and they play a vital ecological role, making them unsuitable as a food source for humans.
Legally protected: It is illegal to catch or consume them, as they are a protected species, especially the Christmas Island red crab. Poor meat quality: The meat is delicate, waterlogged, and doesn't have a good flavor.
POISONOUS CRABS, primarily Xanthid Crabs, contain potent toxins like palytoxin, saxitoxin, and tetrodotoxin that can be deadly if consumed. Examples of highly toxic species include the devil crab (Zosimus aeneus) and the mosaic crab (Lophozozymus pictor). Source: BFAR MIMAROPA FRMS.
Blue Swimmer Crabs (Portunus pelagicus), distinctive for the mottled bright blue to purple of the males' shells (the females tend to be more mottled brown), are caught year-round with peaks from November to April. They weigh an average of 200-300g and, like all crustacea, turn orange when cooked.
This is a food blog, after all. Us Northwest folks love to celebrate the Christmas season with fresh, Dungeness crab, simply prepared with garlic and butter. Dungeness is delightfully in-season during the holidays, and families from San Francisco to Seattle love to stock their holiday tables with it.
Tips on When to Eat Your Favorite Fish
According to tradition, the Christmas Eve dinner must not contain meat. It is quite common to attend Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and practice the old custom of abstinence from meat on the day (but not fasting, which is observed by the Eastern Orthodox Church).
Their vivid hues serve as a warning sign, as many species are highly toxic. They typically have robust claws, a square or oval carapace, and a spiny texture, giving them a distinctive and somewhat rugged appearance.
Spanner Crab
Spanner crabs are a bit underrated, but they're incredibly delicious. Caught predominantly around Queensland and New South Wales coastlines, they are sustainably sourced, tender, and delightfully sweet.
Coconut crabs' broad diets have even led some to suggest that the reason famed aviator Amelia Earhart was never found opens in a new window when she disappeared mid-flight over the Pacific Ocean in 1937, was because she was devoured by coconut crabs after perishing on Nikumaroro island.
Several cases of poisoning stemming from the ingestion of coral reef crabs and resulting in human fatalities have been reported [1, 2]. The Xanthid crabs Zosimus aeneus, Atergatis floridus, and Platypodia granulosa inhabiting tropical and subtropical area are known to contain potent neurotoxins [3].
So, to minimize the risk of food poisoning, crustaceans are often cooked alive.
Leviticus 11:9 says you can't eat crab / lobster. Jesus says it doesn't matter what you eat. Matthew 15:10,11 NIV: Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone's mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
Xanthid crabs are often brightly coloured and are highly poisonous, containing toxins which are not destroyed by cooking and for which no antidote is known.
❤️❤️❤️ And in case you were wondering, Christmas Island red crabs are protected wildlife, so harvesting or eating them is illegal. In addition, their meat is minimal, tough, and often bitter due to their diet and high levels of uric acid, which makes them unappealing compared to other crab species.
It's best known for the Christmas Island red crab which is a land crab only found on Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Their annual migration to the coast to breed makes headlines around the world and is considered one of nature's greatest spectacles. Christmas Island is also home to the coconut crab.
They are Phymodius ungulatus, Pilodius areolatus, Leptodius sanguineus (Xanthidae), Grapsus albolineatus (Grapsidae), Thalamita stimpsoni and Thalamita wakensis (Portunidae). Extracts of T. stimpsoni contained gonyautoxin-1.
Snow crab. Snow crabs are among the top-tier of the species that can fetch exorbitant prices. Although the crustacean is also found in parts of Greenland, Eastern Canada and Alaska, the ones from Japan are particularly the most expensive crabs for eating whose price can run into thousands of dollars.
There's no single "best" fish, but top contenders for taste in Australia include Coral Trout, Barramundi, Snapper, King George Whiting, and Blue-Eye Trevalla, praised for their sweet, firm, white flesh, while Dhufish, Golden Snapper (Fingermark Bream), and Mangrove Jack are also highly rated for their delectable flavour and versatility, with many suggesting simpler preparations highlight their natural taste.
The toxic reef crab (also known as the devil reef crab) is aptly named. This crab's muscles store two of the most lethal toxins— tetrodotoxin and saxitoxin. These gorgeous crabs are easy on the eyes but be sure to avoid them on the dinner plate.
Thankfully, nearly every part of a crab can be eaten, with one exception: the lungs or gills, aka “The Devil's Fingers.” Despite the myth that they're harmful to eat, crab lungs are not inherently toxic. The real reason to steer clear of them is that they just don't taste good.
The most well-known toxic xanthid crab species are Atergatis floridus and Zosimus aeneus, which have extremely high toxicity, and their toxin profiles from different regions showed the presence of paralytic shellfish toxin (PST) and tetrodotoxin (TTX) [18,19].
For the majority of December (and, let's face it, November) they've been bombarded by festive imagery and it all leads toward a single point – Christmas Day. So, naturally, by Christmas Eve, their excitement levels are stratospheric, making it difficult to sleep.
The tradition stems from the Roman Catholic observance of abstaining from eating meat on the eve of a feast day. As no meat or animal fat could be used on such days, observant Catholics would instead eat fish (typically fried in oil). It is unclear when or where the term "Feast of the Seven Fishes" was popularized.
According to legend, Jesus Christ was born on the night between 24 and 25 December in the year 0. Christians all over the world therefore traditionally celebrate the birth of the Messiah and Son of God on this date as Christmas.