Blue crab

Callinectes sapidus, commonly known as the blue crab, Atlantic blue crab, or, regionally, the Maryland blue crab, is a species of crab native to the waters of the western Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and introduced internationally.

The blue crab is a top U.S. seafood, steamed whole with seasoning, picked for crab cakes, or sold as prized soft-shell crabs when freshly molted. It's central to Chesapeake Bay and Gulf Coast cooking.

The blue crab is native to the western Atlantic, ranging from Nova Scotia down through the Gulf of Mexico. It lives in estuaries, bays, and brackish coastal waters, with the Chesapeake Bay being its best-known fishery.