Everyone has a favorite shellfish. For many, it’s lobster. For many of us at Nino’s, it’s crab.

Among our very favorite crab dishes are fingers of Alaskan King Crab, lightly seasoned with garlic and lemon, rolled on phyllo, baked until crispy golden and then served with a very tarragon béarnaise sauce for dipping.

OUTSTANDING! Then there’s the Crab Cakes, which are chock full of succulent sweetness, and basically any way you want to grill it.

At this moment, we’re struggling to get through this without satisfying our cravings. We can see already that this will NOT be a long blog. Among everyone’s favorite during the holidays are stone crabs, which we carry on a regular basis at each store.

Stone claws are über-sweet, with a firm flake and a wonderful mild taste. It’s the one crab we enjoy chilled, usually with a mustard sauce (not cocktail sauce). Another great thing about stone claws is that they’re actually a renewable seafood resource since when captured, only one claw is harvested. They’re then returned to the ocean where the claw grows once more.

The other most popular crab during the holidays is Alaskan King, which is prized more for the delicious, sweet meat of its legs than its smallish claws. It can be enjoyed cold in a salad or chilled with a dip, but it’s more often served hot via a number of cooking methods, including steaming, broiling or baking. For us, if we’re not wrapping them in phyllo, we like them broiled with garlic butter.

If you’re in the mood for this supreme delicacy, here are a few of our recipes and cooking tips to help you enjoy them to the fullest:

And I have two cooking guides to assist you in choosing just how to cook your crabs.