Are mitten crabs edible?
Yes, mitten crabs are edible and in China they are even considered a delicacy. The high prices in China have led to crabs caught in Europe even being brought to China alive by plane and sold there. For most European palates, the yellowish, slippery flesh of the crabs is rather unattractive.
Why are the crabs not given to restaurants?
There are several reasons. Firstly, most of the crabs we catch are still very small, which makes eating them very tedious. Another reason is that most of the crabs live at the bottom of our large rivers and canals, which are unfortunately very polluted with heavy metals and other toxins. The large animals in particular are often heavily contaminated. Therefore, they should not be sold as food at all. But since mitten crabs are listed as an invasive species, the trade is also generally prohibited under EU law. Giving or selling the animals to restaurants is illegal. Apart from these health and legal aspects, there is another important reason. We do not want to promote the trade of the crabs. Because then the danger increases that the animals are taken by people to other areas and escape there.