7 Canned Crab Meat Brands, Ranked Worst To Best

If you're a fan of crab meat but relegate the crustacean to dining out, take note: There are many delicious canned crab meat brands that are readily available at your local grocery store. Unlike shrimp and lobster, crab meat is flaky, slightly sweet, and delivers notes of the sea — it's mildly briny without being overly salty. Excellent when transformed into Maryland crab cakes, or woven into crab and corn chowder, sweet, tender crab meat can be an absolute joy on the palate. But that's only when the crab is good-quality and fresh-tasting.

I've been a crab fan my whole life. In fact, as a kid, my restaurant dinner was typically two lump crab meat appetizers and a side salad — and I didn't leave a speck of crab behind. Take my passion for crab, add my 25+ years as a food writer, and you get a well suited judge to rank the best and worst brands of canned crab. For this ranking, we chose canned because it's an affordable way to enjoy crab in a variety of different crab recipes.

I sampled seven crab meat brands and judged them based on flavor and texture. If the crab was mildly sweet and if it reminded me of the sea, it got points. Crab meat brands that delivered rich flavor and had great texture were the overall winners. Let's dive into the results.

It's no surprise that one of the least expensive brands of crab meat came in last in the ranking. I realize that price doesn't always indicate quality, but in this case, Geisha couldn't compete with the other brands. Unlike what the label will have you believe, this wild caught blue swimming crab meat is more fishy than "fancy". There was a distinct aroma of fish when I opened the can, and the flavor was similar — the meat tastes more like fish than sweet crab. Plus, the crab meat left an unwelcome aftertaste on the palate.

The third ingredient is sugar, and you can tell. There's a sweetness to it that isn't coming naturally from the crab, evidently provided by the added sugar. Another ingredient on the label is ribotide, a food additive used to enhance flavor and create a savory, umami taste. While ribotide is considered safe to consume, delicious crabs shouldn't need it. 

With a price point of under $5, I didn't have great expectations regarding the texture, either. I certainly didn't anticipate a can brimming with big lumps of crab, but I didn't expect to find finely shredded meat either. Of all the brands on this list, this crab meat was the only one with pieces as thin as thread. Since neither taste nor texture were up to par, this crab meat came in last.

I hate to say it, but I think Bumble Bee should stick to its delicious varieties of tuna. Sadly, Bumble Bee crab meat didn't get the memo. When I first opened the can, I was surprised by how much water was inside. Once I drained all the liquid from the can, there was significantly less meat to sample. By the way, no other brands required draining after opening; They simply didn't have excess water.

The texture of this wild caught crab meat is good, nice and firm with little lumps to enjoy. The meat comes from whole or broken pieces from the side of crab, so the chunks are nicely sized. The texture was definitely better than the previous brand, which is why it ranked higher. This crab meat lost points because it was a tad fishy. Not as fishy as Geisha, but fishy nonetheless. At first, the crab tastes sweet, as good-quality crab meat should, but as the meat lingers on the palate, it becomes overly fishy. For this reason, this crab meat ranked second to last. Again, if you're a fan of Bumble Bee tuna, stay in that lane.

Ocean Crown is the only crab meat in this ranking that comes from red swimming crab; all other brands use blue swimming crab. When I read the label, I was pleased to learn that the wild caught crab was hand-picked, but that's where my admiration ended. Red swimming crab meat is slightly richer than blue swimming crab meat, and I found the taste a bit too fishy for my liking. My first impression was that the crab was delightfully sweet, but then the fish-like flavor hit my palate. Unlike blue swimming crab, red swimming crab has a stronger, more nuanced crab flavor, and that flavor was too robust for me. Some folks might like it. 

I did like the texture of this brand — the crab meat was plump and firm, so I could see using it to add heft to recipes where the flavor would be masked. Coconut curry soup comes to mind. This crab scored more points than the first two brands because the texture was great, but the flavor couldn't compete with the winners.

If you like crab claw meat, Blu is for you. I was surprised when I opened the can to find plenty of discernible claws from wild caught, blue swimming crabs; they were perfectly plump and in their original, whole form. Crab claw meat is darker in color and has a stronger flavor than the meat from the body and swimming muscles of the crab. For this reason, the claw meat is ideal for dishes with bolder flavors, like spicy crab dip, bisques, and gumbos. In fact, swapping crab claw meat in for lobster in lobster bisque can easily make the soup more affordable. When incorporated into dishes with other strong flavors, crab claw meat adds richness without overpowering the other flavors. Plus, the claws make a show-stopping presentation when nestled alongside spicy cocktail sauce. 

I really liked the texture of this hand-picked claw meat — it was moist, meaty, and brimming with flavor. Sadly for Blu, our winners performed a tad better.

Chicken of the Sea crab meat easily made it to the top three in the ranking. As soon as I opened the can, I could tell this crab was different. There was a distinct crab aroma, not a fishy one. This crab is delightfully sweet (but not too sweet), and there are nuances of the sea in every bite, meaning the meat was slightly salty and briny, but not overly brackish. The blue swimming crab meat is wild caught, and the brand is a founding member of the NFI Crab Council, an organization focused on the improvement of crab fishery and sustainability.

I also really loved the texture of this crab meat. I found myself wanting to "test again", and not because I was unsure of where to rank it. What placed this crab meat in third place are the lumps of meat, which are a little too thin. The crab meat was too shredded for my liking. I will consider using this crab meat in recipes for crab cakes and crab ravioli, but I wouldn't serve it alone with cocktail sauce.

It was hard to give North Coast Seafoods Culinary Reserve crab meat second place. I truly enjoyed everything about this crab. As soon as I opened the can, there was a distinct sweet aroma. When I took my first bite, I thought, "Oh yeah, now we're talking."  The texture is firm and flaky, not chewy or stringy. The flavor is delightfully sweet, with subtle salty undertones. This wild caught blue swimming crab is hand-picked and the meat is incredibly fresh. It was as if the crab just landed on the dock; not crab meat that was cooked, pasteurized, canned, and shipped from the other side of the world.

I used the entire can of crab meat, about one pound, to make crab cakes, and they didn't disappoint. There was just enough sweetness to complement the savory elements in the crab cakes, and the meat kept its shape during mixing. The only reason this brand came in second was because the winner had better lumps of meat. Since I used this crab in crab cakes, it was fine that the pieces were smaller. If you're looking for a tasty canned crab meat brand that delivers everything you crave without breaking the bank, this is a great choice.

It was pretty easy to give Ocean Legacy first place in this ranking. The meaty lumps of crab were delightfully firm and fresh-tasting. I was thrilled to find such large pieces of crab, considering this is labeled premium crab meat, not jumbo lump crab meat. The crab is delicately sweet, with nuances of the ocean that balance everything out. Ocean Legacy is also a member of the NFI Crab Council, indicating that the company is committed to sustainability. This wild caught, hand-picked blue swimming crab is harvested in a way that is supposed to help preserves the marine ecosystem.

Ocean Legacy's flavor and texture are top-notch, and I found myself wanting to eat the whole pound of meat straight from the can. I will certainly buy this crab again and serve it as an appetizer with classic cocktail sauce, or pile the meat onto a salad for a blast of delectable protein. As amazing as this crab meat would be in dips, soups, and salads, you shouldn't mask its flavor; It's delicious enough to eat all by itself.

I judged these seven crab meat brands based on their flavor and texture. When shopping, I chose similar varieties of crab, steering clear of jumbo lump meat since it wouldn't be fair to judge that next to regular crab meat. I only picked brands that are available in most or all of the U.S., and erred towards those that are reasonably priced. The price of each brand of crab ranged from about $4 for 6 ounces (Geisha and Bumble Bee) to about $20 for one pound (Ocean Legacy and Chicken of the Sea). That's not cheap, sure, but lump crab meat sold in the seafood section of a grocery store can cost upwards of $30 per pound.

When sampling each brand, I considered overall flavor first. When it came to texture, brands with bigger lumps of tender, flaky meat were given extra points. Truth be told, these crab meat brands were all fine, and you can easily make tasty dishes with any of them. The winners were those crab meat brands that you could serve as is, without having to mask their flavor.