How to Catch Kelp Crab

Kelp crabs are the easy, overlooked crab of the Pacific shore - angular, spider-like crabs that cling to kelp, pilings, floating docks and jetties in plain sight. Most people walk past them, but they are simple to gather with a hand line or a net right off a dock, and their body and legs hold genuinely sweet meat. For a low-effort, no-boat crab feed, they are a hidden gem.

Why go for them

They are free, accessible and easy - clinging to structure you can reach on foot, needing nothing more than a hand line, a net and gloves. The meat is sweet and worth picking, and because so few people bother with them, there is rarely any competition on the docks and jetties where they live.

Where and when to find them

Kelp crabs live among kelp beds and cling to pilings, floating docks, jetties and breakwaters along the Pacific coast, often visible at low tide. Many areas allow them year-round; work a low tide when they are exposed on structure, and check the undersides of floats and pilings.

How to catch them

Pick them off pilings and floats by hand (wear gloves - they pinch), or lower a baited hand line or drop a hoop net near structure and lift when a crab grabs on. Measure any near the limit and keep only legal crabs, handling them from the rear of the shell to avoid the claws.

Handling, cleaning and cooking

Keep them cold and alive, then boil or steam until bright, clean and crack for the body and leg meat. Kelp crab is sweet and good picked into cakes, salads or simply cracked with butter. Cook the day of the catch for the best flavour, and do not overcook.

Safety and the law

Crab sizes, limits and open areas vary by state, so check your local authority and release egg-bearing females. Gather only from clean, open, certified-safe water, heed closures, cook thoroughly, and remember shellfish is a serious allergen. See our shellfish safety guide.