Albany sand crab crawls onto Clancy’s menu

An obscure and overlooked crab found near Albany could become the next big thing on seafood platters, potentially heralding the beginnings of a new industry. The Albany sand crab, also known as toe nippers, have made their way onto Clancy’s Fish Pub menu, after the interest of head chef Ashley Ryan was piqued by its sweet taste and high meat content. The crabs were bought to Clancy’s attention as part of a campaign by the WA Fishing Industry Council and WA seafood ambassador Don Hancey to showcase lesser known local seafood species and expand fishing business opportunities. “We trialled a few of the sand crabs in a variety of recipes and found them to be quite a surprise,” Mr Ryan said. He said there were overwhelming similarities yet subtle differences between Albany sand crabs and the hugely popular and well-known blue swimmer crab. “Sand crabs are a very fleshy crab, so there’s plenty of meat ... they have a beautiful sweet taste as well,” Mr Ryan said. “I can see these sand crabs becoming a very popular part of our menus over coming months. They may be the next big thing on a WA seafood platter.” The sand crabs are caught by Albany fisherman Eric Tranthem, who has been working with Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to determine whether there is a sufficient and sustainable volume of sand crabs, coupled with viable consumer demand. Mr Tranthem has fished for the crabs for the past four years, until now selling small volumes into local Chinese restaurants, with some going to Sydney and Melbourne. WA Fishing Industry Council chief executive Alex Ogg said the sand crab fishery had interesting potential for sustainable commercial development. “There’s nothing high-tech about the sand crab fishery at the moment. It’s simply a local fisherman and his boat, but early research shows there is potential for growth,” Mr Ogg said. “It all depends on whether (the fisherman) can find that balance between sustainable supply, consumer demand and financial viability.”