Bringing the sea to your table is made easier by convenient and high-quality seafood shipping options. When you buy whole king crab, you can almost taste the freezing Alaskan waters. King crab legs are available year-round and come fresh to your door, but those looking to impress beyond crab legs, however, have another option. For a unique dinner display, a whole Alaskan king is sure to deliver, but it can be difficult to buy a whole king online, as finding fresh ones whole is tough. Plus, you’ll need to figure out whether the cost is worth it. Regardless, here’s what you will need to know about how to order whole king crab online.

The only online vendor we have found that sells whole king crab is Seabear Smokehouse. They offer whole red king crab at $325. Each crab is roughly 5.5-5.8 lbs. For one, that is a pretty incredible price. Red king legs are ~$64/lb and this whole king is $57/lb. Second, there aren’t many places who will ship whole king crabs, so any price price is a good price.

Occasions for Whole King Crab

If you want to buy a king crab whole, you better have an occasion to celebrate. Celebrations like anniversaries and graduations or life milestones warrant an equally momentous meal. Serving a whole crab evokes importance and is likely to be a crowd pleaser. A whole giant crab can be a real “Wow” moment at a dinner party or seafood cookout. We’ll admit, a whole crab is not for every occasion, but the presentation value is still quite special.

Since you can’t eat all parts of the crab and kings are pretty big, getting a whole king delivered is not always practical. However, you can always accompany a whole king with crab legs or other protein options to supplement.

Buying a Whole Alaskan King Crab

Many online king crab fisheries offer a limited stock of whole Alaskan kings for sale. A full king crab is certainly not as widely available as the more popular king crab legs. Only a handful are reserved for each season. When they sell out, you’re out of luck until the next year.

If you buy whole king crab online, you should brace yourself for the price. One crab runs anywhere from $250 to $400. This price will get you a crab that is roughly 5 pounds. Since the average serving size of crab is 1 to 2 pounds per person, one crab is unlikely to satisfy a group larger than 2 or 3. If the price of whole crab feels too hefty, we recommend buying a large portion of crab legs instead.

How to Ship Whole King Crabs

Whole Alaskan king crab ships the same as king crab legs would. The whole crab is fully cooked and flash frozen once pulled out of the water. The suppliers then place the crab into refrigerated packaging for a safe journey. You can plan on overnight or 1-day shipping. The crab does need to thaw thoroughly for at least a day before use. Once it has defrosted, you can decide your desired preparation method and get the most out of your full king crab.

Our Favorite Crab Recipes

While you should not eat the organs of the crab, the shells and main body have a lot to offer. Check these recipes for easy ways to use any leftover crab.

  • Crab Shells: Make delicious seafood stock to flavor soups and stews and even grains like risotto.
  • Crab Body Meat: Many shy away from the meat of the crab body, but it is great for crab cakes or crab ravioli.
  • Crab Legs: You can’t go wrong with simple steamed crab legs, but you can switch up dipping sauces with these great alternatives.

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