VAAG Raw King Crab Meat

Name: VAAG Raw King Crab Meat | Hand-Shelled, No Waste | FINE & WILD
Brand: ALBION FINE FOODS
SKU: RKCMEAT340
Price: 80.0 GBP
Availability: InStock

£80.00

225g

Variant

Finnmark, Norway Wild Caught

Wild Norwegian king crab meat from VAAG Seafood — hand-shelled raw, with no shell, no cartilage and no waste. Snowy white meat with red striping from across the crab, flash-frozen at –50°C off the Finnmark coast. The king crab to reach for as an ingredient — folded through pasta, in ravioli fillings, or steamed for cold tians and salads.

VAAG Raw King Crab Meat

£80.00

Wild Norwegian red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus), hand-shelled raw and super-frozen at –50°C by VAAG Seafood at their fishery in Henningsvær, Lofoten. Each pack contains snowy white meat from across the crab — claw, leg and shoulder — naturally streaked with red, with all shell, cartilage and feather bone removed. The flavour is sweet, mild and delicate, often compared to lobster, with the firm clean texture that defines properly handled king crab.

The shell work is done using high-pressure processing — a cold technology, unique to VAAG in Scandinavia, that uses extreme pressure to separate meat from shell without heat or chemicals, leaving the texture and translucency of the raw flesh intact. This is the king crab to reach for as an ingredient — for folding through pasta, filling ravioli, building a tian, or any preparation where the meat is going into a dish rather than served as whole intact pieces. The crab is sourced from the cold pristine waters around Finnmark, on the Norwegian coast near the North Cape, and flash-frozen at –50°C the same day it leaves the water to lock in flavour and texture.

There are two ways to use it, and the choice depends on the dish. For hot preparations — linguine, ravioli filling, soups, sauces, hot tarts and stuffings — the meat goes in raw and the residual heat of the cooking finishes it in 2–3 minutes. For cold preparations — a tian of crab with mayonnaise, chilli and lemon, a cold salad, canapés, sandwich fillings — the meat should be steamed briefly first. Steaming is the cleanest cooking method because it sets the meat without waterlogging it, which means it holds its texture in salads and tians where boiled or poached crab would weep liquid through the dish.

Producer: VAAG Seafood, Henningsvær, Lofoten, Norway · Wild-caught from Finnmark, Norway (FAO Area 27)

Species: Red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus)

Catch method: Pot, Norwegian coastal fleet

Processing: Raw-shelled by HPP (high-pressure processing), vacuum-packed, super-frozen at –50°C

Ingredients: Red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus). No additives.

Storage: Keep frozen at –18°C or below until the best-before date. Defrost in the fridge overnight. Once defrosted, refrigerate at 0–4°C and use within 4 days. Do not refreeze.

Allergens: Crustaceans

Remove from the packaging and place on kitchen paper on a plate in the fridge overnight. The meat will be ready to use the following day. Pat dry before cooking. Once defrosted, refrigerate at 0–4°C and use within 4 days. Do not refreeze.

For hot dishes — use the meat raw. The residual heat of the cooking will finish it in 2–3 minutes, and pre-cooking would dry the meat out.

For cold dishes — steam the meat briefly first. Steaming sets the meat without waterlogging it, which is essential for tians, salads and any cold preparation where the texture needs to hold without weeping liquid through the dish. Place the defrosted meat in a steamer basket or colander set over a pan of simmering salted water, cover, and steam for 3–4 minutes until just opaque. Lift out, spread on a plate to cool quickly, then chill before use. Do not boil or poach the meat for cold preparations — the meat will absorb water and lose its texture in the finished dish.

King crab linguine: Dice the raw crab into bite-sized pieces. Soften sliced garlic and fresh red chilli in good olive oil, then add halved fresh tomatoes (or a small amount of passata) and cook until they break down and concentrate. Season with salt and a pinch of sugar if needed. Cook the linguine until just short of al dente, transfer to the sauce with a splash of pasta water, and fold the raw crab through. Finish with torn basil and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.

Ravioli or tortellini filling: Dice the raw crab finely and fold through a salmon mousse (blended raw salmon, egg white and a touch of cream, seasoned with salt, white pepper and lemon zest). Use as a filling for fresh pasta. Poach the ravioli in simmering salted water for 3–4 minutes and serve with a light butter sauce or shellfish bisque.

Tian of crab: A tian is a layered cold composition, classically built in a round mould — pre-steamed king crab on the bottom, ripe avocado in the middle, and a clean dressing on top, served chilled. Steam the crab as above and chill. Fold through good mayonnaise loosened with lemon juice, a small amount of finely diced shallot, fresh chilli to taste, and chopped chives. Press into a ring mould layered with diced avocado seasoned with salt, lemon and a touch of olive oil. Lift the mould off at the table and finish with a few leaves of micro herb or a quenelle of crème fraîche.

Cold king crab salad: Steam the crab and chill. Serve over dressed leaves with avocado, fennel, radish, and a citrus or spiced cocktail dressing.

Bisque, chowder or shellfish soup: Add the raw crab to the finished soup in the last 2–3 minutes of cooking, off direct heat. The meat will warm through and finish cooking gently in the residual heat without going tough.

Crab toast: Fold the raw crab through a small amount of brown butter, lemon zest and a touch of chilli. Pile onto hot toasted sourdough. The crab cooks in the warmth of the toast and the butter — no further heat needed.

The mistake to avoid: boiling or poaching the meat for use in a cold dish. The texture changes and the dish bleeds liquid as it sits. Steam, always.

Order Cut-Off Times & Delivery Date Selection

Orders placed before 2 PM (Monday to Friday) are dispatched the same day, unless you select a future delivery date at checkout.

Our Delivery Service

We use reliable third-party express courier services and high-quality insulated packaging. While our couriers are generally excellent, occasional delays can happen. We pack everything to stay fresh, even if transit takes a little longer.

Time-Sensitive & Event Orders

Can we guarantee delivery on a specific day? Unfortunately not - we rely on third-party couriers and can't control their schedules. All items leave us in perfect condition with good use-by dates, but final timing depends on the courier.

If your order is for a specific event, let us know in the notes section at checkout. We can often dispatch a day earlier to give you the best chance of timely arrival.

DELIVERY Changes After Dispatch

Once dispatched, your package is with the courier and we're unable to redirect it or change delivery details.

Saturday Delivery

Saturday delivery is available, though please note our couriers don't operate phone support at weekends and our office is closed. For event-critical orders, a weekday delivery gives us more flexibility to help if any issues arise.

Full delivery details and shipping rates: here

Description

Wild Norwegian red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus), hand-shelled raw and super-frozen at –50°C by VAAG Seafood at their fishery in Henningsvær, Lofoten. Each pack contains snowy white meat from across the crab — claw, leg and shoulder — naturally streaked with red, with all shell, cartilage and feather bone removed. The flavour is sweet, mild and delicate, often compared to lobster, with the firm clean texture that defines properly handled king crab.

The shell work is done using high-pressure processing — a cold technology, unique to VAAG in Scandinavia, that uses extreme pressure to separate meat from shell without heat or chemicals, leaving the texture and translucency of the raw flesh intact. This is the king crab to reach for as an ingredient — for folding through pasta, filling ravioli, building a tian, or any preparation where the meat is going into a dish rather than served as whole intact pieces. The crab is sourced from the cold pristine waters around Finnmark, on the Norwegian coast near the North Cape, and flash-frozen at –50°C the same day it leaves the water to lock in flavour and texture.

There are two ways to use it, and the choice depends on the dish. For hot preparations — linguine, ravioli filling, soups, sauces, hot tarts and stuffings — the meat goes in raw and the residual heat of the cooking finishes it in 2–3 minutes. For cold preparations — a tian of crab with mayonnaise, chilli and lemon, a cold salad, canapés, sandwich fillings — the meat should be steamed briefly first. Steaming is the cleanest cooking method because it sets the meat without waterlogging it, which means it holds its texture in salads and tians where boiled or poached crab would weep liquid through the dish.

Producer: VAAG Seafood, Henningsvær, Lofoten, Norway · Wild-caught from Finnmark, Norway (FAO Area 27)

Species: Red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus)

Catch method: Pot, Norwegian coastal fleet

Processing: Raw-shelled by HPP (high-pressure processing), vacuum-packed, super-frozen at –50°C

Ingredients: Red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus). No additives.

Storage: Keep frozen at –18°C or below until the best-before date. Defrost in the fridge overnight. Once defrosted, refrigerate at 0–4°C and use within 4 days. Do not refreeze.

Allergens: Crustaceans

Preparation / Cooking