How Many Crabs In A Bushel

When we talk about crabbing, a common question people ask is, “How many crabs in a bushel?” If you are a seafood lover, fisherman, or planning to gather with colleagues, crab is used in many delicious dishes one of these is the crab brulee recipe. So, it is important to understand what a bushel is and how many crabs can fit into it. In this blog post, we completely guide you through crabs, a bushel, their sizes, differences, and how to buy and save them.

What is a bushel?

Before stepping into how many crabs are in a bushel let’s briefly discuss about bushel. A bushel is a customary unit of volume, people use it to measure dry capacity it has been used in the U.S. for a long time. It is mostly used for agricultural products. Like, fruits, wheat, corn, and crabs. One bushel is approximately equal to 8 gallons (35.2 liters). In the case of crabs, a bushel refers to how many crabs you can pack into that space.

Why bushel is used for crabs?

Bushel is mostly used on the East Coast of the United States where catching, buying, and selling bushes is a popular business. The advantage of using bushes is you don’t need to count each bushel, but through bushels, you can easily precipitate how many bushels you want to sell or buy.

How Many Crabs In A Bushel

Here is a general breakdown of crab types, sizes, and their amount in a bushel.

• Small: (5 – 5.5 inches) 96 to 108 crabs per bushel.
• Medium: ( 5.5-6 inches ) 84-96 crabs per bushel.
• Large: (6-6.5 inches ) 72-84 crabs per bushel.
• Jumbo: (6.5 inches) and above 60-72 crabs per bushel.

As the size of the crab increases the fewer will fit into a bushel. Remember, when you buy the crab size can be a little different, but the above estimation is accurate across most regions.

Crab Sizes And Regional Difference

However, we divided crabs into four types, but crab’s size and quality vary by region.

• Chesapeake: In this region, which is famous for its blue crabs, crab sizes are divided in such a way: 5-.5.5 inches normal, 5.5-6 medium, 6-6.5 large, and 6.5 or up jumbo full size.
• Gulf Coast: In this area blue crabs are available and the size of the crabs can vary a little bit sometimes.
• West Coast: On the West Coast particularly, in areas like California and Oregon Dungeness crabs are a much more popular type.
• Dungeness crabs vs blue crabs:

Dungeness crabs are large so, their numbers will be less in the bushel as compared to blue crabs. Approximately, 35-45 Dungeness crabs will be fit in a bushel.

How to buy crabs through bushel

If you desire to purchase crabs through Bushel be aware of these things to get the best quality and quantity. Always check quality over quantity.

1. Check size: As we discussed before, the size of crabs affects how many crabs fit in one bushel. During purchasing ask about types to know what you are going to buy.
2. Cooked and Uncooked: You can buy both steamed and uncooked. Cooked crabs are packed tightly therefore their amount can be much in the bushel.
3. Season Availability: The price can be different according to season changes. The best season is summer and the beginning of autumn when they are available in high amounts at cheap prices.
4. Regional difference: The region also matters in some areas the sizes are different, Chesapeake crabs are larger and the Gulf Coast is smaller.
5. Saving: If you buy large and high amounts these are not usable at a time. You can save it for next time by following these steps:
6. Fresh Uncooked: Keep the live crabs in cold and humid areas don’t keep them in tasty water like sweet water because they can die.
7. Steamed: You can save cooked crabs in the fridge for two days. Cover it with a plastic sheet or foil to prevent them from drying out. You can also freeze them steamed for a long time, but they are best to eat fresh.

How Much Is Enough For Servings

If you’re hosting a crab feast or just planning a family meal, and outing with friends you might wonder how many crabs per person you should buy. On average, you should plan for:

6 to 8 crabs per person for smaller crabs.
4 to 6 crabs per person for larger crabs.
If you’re serving other dishes like sides or appetizers, you can get by with fewer crabs. But if crabs are the main course, buying a little extra is always better to ensure everyone gets enough.

Conclusion

We covered many questions with detail, people asked about how many crabs are in a bushel. It depends on the crab size. Large crabs will be counted less and small ones will be much. Now if you are buying blue or Chesapeake crab you are a master. You can choose your best choice in any season if the crab is steamed or uncooked.