Seafood

Crab nutrition, before and after the heat.

On USDA figures, 3 oz of raw crab works out at 74 calories and carries 15 g of protein. That is USDA’s figure for “Crustaceans, crab, blue, raw”. Cook it differently and that moves: the spread across the forms below is 83 to 87 calories per 100 g. Choose how much you are eating and the panel does the arithmetic from there.

By Alen Yaco · Updated 20 September 2026

Numbers come from USDA FoodData Central records 171966, 174204, 174205 and are worked out locally, with no sign-up.

How many calories are in crab?

Count 74 calories for 3 oz of raw crab, or 87 for every 100 g. The portion weights in the table are USDA’s own measurements.

What crab offers in protein

Protein in 3 oz of raw crab comes to 15 g. Against the 50 g Daily Value, that covers 31 percent. Crab is about as protein-dense as food gets: 83 percent of its calories are protein, which is why it turns up in almost every high-protein plan.

Divide its calories by source and you get 88 percent from protein, 12 percent from fat and 0 percent from carbohydrate.

Does the method change crab?

A caution on this table: each preparation is its own USDA record, taken from its own sample. For crab that accounts for much of the 5 percent difference you will see.

The table holds the weight constant at 85 g, which leaves the preparation as the single variable.

Choosing and cooking crab

Brown crab and spider crab are the main British landings, sold live, whole cooked, or as dressed meat. Pick dressed crab with a high proportion of brown meat for deep flavour, or white claw meat for delicate sweetness. Live crabs must feel heavy for their size and show active movement. Avoid any that smell of ammonia.

Crab meat is already cooked when bought dressed. Reheating it dries out the delicate fibres. If cooking live crab, boiling sets the proteins, but steaming keeps the meat sweeter and less watery. The common mistake is overcooking, which turns the sweet white leg meat tough, dry, and stringy.

Rich brown crab meat binds well into British potted crab with mace and clarified butter. Delicate white crab claw meat suits cold summer salads. For Asian dishes, stir-fry the meat with ginger, spring onions, and Shaoxing wine, or toss it through hot linguine with red chilli and lemon.

Crab: the full nutrient profile

3 oz of raw crab delivers vitamin B12 at 319 percent of a day, selenium at 58 percent of a day, zinc at 27 percent of a day. Everything else USDA reports for it is in the table, scaled to your serving.

Crab against a daily budget

On a 2,000 calorie day, 3 oz of raw crab is 4 percent of the budget and 31 percent of the protein Daily Value. Whether that is a lot depends on your own numbers rather than on 2,000: the TDEE calculator gives you what you burn, and the macro calculator turns a target into grams.

Crab recipes, with the numbers

From the Calorie Counter Team: three dishes built around crab, with per-serving nutrition calculated from the USDA data for every ingredient that goes in.

Dinner · British

Pan-Fried Crab Cakes

Crab cakes bound with egg and breadcrumbs, seasoned with mustard and cayenne pepper.

20 min · serves 2

366kcal

28gprotein

22gfat

13gcarbs

Ingredients

• Cooked crab meat 250 g
• White breadcrumbs 50 g
• Whole egg 50 g
• Mayonnaise 30 g
• Dijon mustard 10 g
• Unsalted butter 15 g
• Salt 2 g
• Cayenne pepper 1 g

Method

1. Mix the crab meat, breadcrumbs, egg, mayonnaise, mustard, cayenne pepper and salt in a bowl.
2. Shape the mixture into four equal patties using your hands.
3. Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat.
4. Fry the patties for four minutes on each side until they are brown.

Per serving, from 8 USDA FoodData Central records. Cooking changes weight and some nutrients; treat these as close rather than exact.

Lunch · British

Crab and Avocado Salad

A cold salad of crab meat, diced avocado and lemon dressing.

15 min · serves 2

251kcal

20gprotein

17gfat

7.3gcarbs

Ingredients

• Cooked crab meat 200 g
• Avocado 150 g
• Lemon juice 15 g
• Olive oil 10 g
• Fresh chives 5 g
• Salt 1 g
• Black pepper 1 g

Method

1. Cut the avocado into one-centimetre cubes.
2. Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and black pepper in a medium bowl.
3. Add the crab meat, avocado cubes and chopped chives to the bowl.
4. Stir the ingredients gently with a spoon to combine without breaking the avocado.

Summed from 7 USDA records and divided by servings. Heat alters weight and a few nutrients, so read it as a close figure.

Side · Asian

Ginger Crab Soup

A warm, light soup with crab meat, spring onions and ginger in vegetable stock.

15 min · serves 2

106kcal

15gprotein

3.4gfat

4gcarbs

Ingredients

• Cooked crab meat 150 g
• Vegetable stock 400 g
• Spring onions 30 g
• Ginger root 10 g
• Soy sauce 15 g
• Sesame oil 5 g

Method

1. Slice the spring onions thinly and grate the ginger root.
2. Heat the vegetable stock, ginger and soy sauce in a saucepan until boiling.
3. Reduce the heat and simmer the liquid for five minutes.
4. Add the crab meat and spring onions, then simmer for two minutes.
5. Stir in the sesame oil just before removing the saucepan from the heat.

Nutrition per serving, calculated across 6 USDA ingredient records. Expect small differences once cooked.

Calorie Counter Team, food critic

What a meal with crab adds up to

A sample plate, not a prescription: crab plus two sides, each line sourced and the sum shown.

How crab compares with similar foods

Per 100 g, each in the form its own page leads with; the second column says which.

Crab: common questions

How many calories are in 3 oz of raw crab?

3 oz of raw crab is 74 calories. That comes from the USDA record “Crustaceans, crab, blue, raw” (FDC 174204), which is 87 calories per 100 g.

Is there much protein in crab?

15 g in 3 oz of raw crab, or 18 g per 100 g. That is 31 percent of the 50 g Daily Value.

Does crab fit a calorie deficit?

Weight change comes from the whole week’s intake. 3 oz of raw crab contributes 74 calories and 15 g of protein (83 percent of its energy), which is a favourable trade when calories are tight.

Which nutrients is crab highest in?

Chiefly vitamin B12 at 319 percent, selenium at 58 percent, zinc at 27 percent, for 3 oz of raw crab. See the full profile above for the remaining values.

What is the difference between white and brown crab meat?

White meat comes from the claws and legs, offering a sweet flavour and flaky texture. Brown meat comes from the shell cavity, containing more fat, which gives it a rich, savoury taste and smooth consistency.

How do you extract meat from a whole cooked crab?

Twist off the claws and legs, then crack them gently with a rolling pin. Pull the main body away from the back shell, discard the grey feathery gills, and scrape the rich brown meat out of the shell cavity.

Sources

• Crustaceans, crab, blue, raw — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 174204
• Crustaceans, crab, blue, cooked, moist heat — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 174205
• Crustaceans, crab, blue, canned — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171966
• Daily Values for nutrition labelling, 21 CFR 101.9