The Best Time to Buy Hard Crabs: A Guide for Blue Crab Fans

If you're a fan of fresh, flavorful blue crabs, you may have noticed that their availability and price fluctuate throughout the year. Knowing the best time to buy blue crabs can help you get the freshest catch at the best price. At Crab Dynasty, we want to ensure you get the highest quality crabs whenever you’re craving them. So, when is the perfect time to buy blue crabs? Let’s dive in!

The prime time for blue crabs in Maryland runs from late spring through early fall (April to October). Starting in the spring, water temperatures rise, making blue crabs more active and easier to catch.  Crabbing is in full swing in the Chesapeake Bay, Gulf Coast, and other prime crabbing regions, ensuring a steady supply.  During this time, availability is at its highest, making it easy to find live crabs, steamed crabs, and fresh crab meat.  This means fair prices and easy access for consumers.

The beginning of the season (Late March to Early May) and the end of the season (Middle of September to the end of October) is often considered the sweet spot for blue crab lovers. This is the time before the molting season starts, and later in the season the crabs have had time to grow and molt into larger, meatier sizes. Whether you're looking for live crabs, steamed crabs, or premium crab meat, this is when you'll get the best quality.  This is also the best chance for the females to have prized crab roe.  (orange meat inside) 

Fall is often one of the best times to get more ‘bang for your buck’ when buying blue crabs.  By September and October, blue crabs have had the entire summer to grow, molt, and fatten up, resulting in larger, meatier crabs. These crabs are packed with sweet, flavorful meat, giving you more value for your money.  Also, water temperatures are still warm enough to keep crabs active and easy to catch. The abundance of crabs in the market means lower prices as supply meets demand.  Summer is the peak of hard crab demand, and once those holidays are over and school starts, the demand starts to come down.  Since harvesting slows down in the colder months, buying in fall can help you stock up at a better price.

Once water temperatures drop in late fall and winter, blue crabs enter a state of dormancy, burrowing into the mud until warmer weather returns. This makes them significantly harder to catch, leading to limited availability and higher prices.  Also, Maryland and Virginia close crabbing season in the winter.  Maryland closes on December 15th in the Chesapeake Bay and does not open back up until April 1st.  Virginia crab season closes on November 30th and opens on March 17th.

Buy in bulk during peak season and freeze crabs for later use.  (this is all depending on preference- we do not encourage freezing crabs, blue crabs are best fresh.  But we have had many customers enjoy them this way as well!)

Order ahead for special occasions to lock in the best quality and pricing.

Check for seasonal sales and promotions at Crab Dynasty for exclusive discounts on crabs and seafood.  Sign up for our newsletter to receive all the latest sales straight to your inbox!

Shop now and enjoy the finest blue crabs, no matter the time of year!