How Many Crabs in a Bushel and More Seafood Ordering Guidelines (2024)

Any good host or party planner knows that the worst-case scenario is not having enough food at your event. Avoid this dilemma by ordering the right amount of seafood for a family or a crowd from Crab Dynasty. Follow our simple guidelines to determine how many crabs to order for a crab boil, plus how many pounds of shrimp and scallops you should order per person. We’re here to make sure no one leaves your table hungry.

How Many Crabs are in a Bushel?

The number of crabs in a bushel depends on the size of the crabs. A bushel refers to the wooden basket-like container we store crabs in after we catch them. This size chart will help you determine how many crabs are in a bushel.


Size

Crab Dimensions

Approximate Crabs in a Bushel

Dozens in a Bushel

Standard

5-5.5 inches

84 crabs

7 dozen

Large

5.5-6 inches

72 crabs

6 dozen

Jumbo

6-6.75 inches

60 crabs

5 dozen

Colossal

6.75 inches or larger

48 crabs

4 dozen

Crab Dynasty sells live blue crabs by the dozen, two dozen, half a bushel, or bushel. Generally, a bushel of large-sized crabs can feed about eight people. If you serve steamed crabs with other food, plan for about six crabs per person. If crabs are your main dish, order eight to a dozen crabs per person.

How Many Crab Legs Should You Order Per Person?

Crab Dynasty sells snow crab legs and Alaskan king crab legs by the pound. As a rule of thumb for ordering, we recommend 1.5 to two pounds of crab per person.

We sell snow crab legs in medium, large, jumbo, and colossal sizes and quantities of three, six, and nine pounds. Medium snow crab legs yield 2-3 clusters per pound; large snow crab legs yield 2-3 clusters per 1.5 pounds; jumbo snow crab legs yield 3 clusters per 2 pounds, and colossal snow crab legs yield 3 clusters per 2.5 pounds.

Crab Dynasty packages your order of Alaskan king crab legs in one, five, or ten-pound quantities. All you need to do is choose the size! A large king crab yields approximately two to three legs per pound. A jumbo king crab yields one to two legs per pound.

How Many Shrimp are in a Pound?

Depending on their size, the amount of shrimp per pound ranges from 10 to 30. Crab Dynasty offers Gulf shrimp in four sizes: colossal, jumbo, large, and medium. The rule of thumb for serving shrimp is to order one pound of raw and unpeeled shrimp per person.

Colossal shrimp provide 10-15 shrimp per pound. The largest size we have available, colossal shrimp are perfect for show-stopping dishes and seafood towers. Jumbo shrimp (our most popular size) offers 16-20 shrimp per pound. Large shrimp are a popular choice for party platters; they are a good size for peeling and dipping in co*cktail sauce. One pound of large shrimp translates to 21-25 shrimp. Medium shrimp are the smallest size we offer. Perfect for tasty pasta dishes and shrimp salad, there will be about 26-30 medium shrimp in a pound.

How Many Scallops are in a Pound?

The number of scallops in a pound range from 10 or fewer to 30, depending on the size. Crab Dynasty ships scallops in one or five-pound quantities. Our large scallops will provide around 20-30 scallops per pound. There will be about 10-20 jumbo scallops and ten or fewer giant scallops per pound.

How many scallops per person you need depends on whether they are the main course or appetizer. For the main dish, use 4-6 scallops per person. For starters or appetizers, you can reduce the number to 2-3 scallops per person.

How to Order the Right Amount of Seafood from Crab Dynasty

Crab Dynasty offers so much more in the way of seafood. Ordering the right amount of clams, crawfish, fried seafood, and other seafood products depends on how you prepare the seafood and for how many people.

Our favorite way to use crawfish is in a classic cajun seafood boil. A good guideline for any crawfish boil is to order three pounds per person. Crab Dynasty offers steamed, flash-frozen crawfish in three or nine-pound quantities with 16 to 22 crawfish per pound.

Discerning seafood lovers seek out Chesapeake Bay clams for their complex, savory flavors. We ship our clams live. They are versatile enough to be steamed, boiled, baked, fried, stuffed, or even added to your favorite clam chowder recipe. Plan on one to two dozen clams per person – we sell clams in quantities of one dozen, 50, or 100 counts. Order live clams for yourself or a large gathering with ease.


If you have additional questions on ordering seafood, contact Crab Dynasty customer service by email sales@crabdynasty.com. Our experienced representatives can ensure you order the right amount of seafood regardless of how big your event is.

How Many Crabs in a Bushel and More Seafood Ordering Guidelines (2024)

FAQs

How Many Crabs in a Bushel and More Seafood Ordering Guidelines? ›

The number of crabs in a bushel varies depending on the size of crabs. We sell both full and half bushels in small, medium and large. A small full bushel has 7 dozen, medium full bushel has 6 dozen and a full bushel of large has 5 dozen crabs.

How many crabs are in one bushel? ›

The number of crabs in a bushel varies depending on the size of crabs. We sell both full and half bushels in small, medium and large. A small full bushel has 7 dozen, medium full bushel has 6 dozen and a full bushel of large has 5 dozen crabs.

How much is a bushel of number 1 crabs? ›

Live Crabs
Live CrabsDozenBushel
Jumbo$75.00$——-
No. 1$55.00$345.00
No. 2$25.00$215.00
Females$——-$——-
3 more rows
May 29, 2024

How much does a 1 2 bushel of crabs feed? ›

A Half Bushel of Crabs feeds about 4-5 people.

How many crabs should I get? ›

How many crabs to get. A good rule of thumb is about 6-10 Maryland Blue Crabs per person. If you are serving other food, we recommend about a 1/2 dozen crabs per person. A bushel of large crabs will feed 8-10 people.

Is 2 dozen a bushel of crabs? ›

1 bushel of crabs will typically contain 5.5 dozens of large crabs and 6-7 dozens of small-medium crabs.

How many are in a bushel? ›

A Bushel, A Basket

Today, a bushel has a weight equivalent, different for every commodity. For wheat, one bushel equals 60 pounds of wheat or approximately one million wheat kernels. A common semi-truck grain hopper can hold approximately 1,000 bushels of wheat – or 60,000 pounds of wheat in a single load.

Which crab is best to eat, male or female? ›

Male crabs are meatier and are the preferred crab for steaming. You can tell a male blue crab by its “apron,” the underbelly shell of the crab, which is narrow compared to the female's. Female crabs are fattier and are preferred for soup.

What is the difference between #1 and #2 blue crabs? ›

A #1 Jimmy is a male blue crab that has filled out its shell and has enough meat to be caught and sold for steaming. A #2 Jimmy crab is not as big as a #1. These are male crabs that have recently shed their shell and haven't yet grown a new one (this process is called molting).

Which crab has the most meat? ›

While there aren't huge differences between these two crabs, you will definitely notice a difference in size and price, and maybe even a slight difference in flavor. King crab is the best option for meat yield, while snow crab is the better choice for affordability.

How do you tell if a crab has a lot of meat? ›

One of the most reliable signs that the crab is full of meat is to press on the abdominal plate as shown on the video. The empty crab would have a lot of give while the meaty crab would have very little or hardly any give at all.

What size crabs are good for eating? ›

Premium Large Crabs – These tasty blue crabs are just slightly smaller than the colossals, averaging 5 1/2-inches to 6 1/4-inches (from tip to tip). These are our go-to party crabs. Impressive in size and an excellent option for a group of about 12-24 people. Average about 4-6 large premium crabs per person.

Is it OK to eat a lot of crab? ›

Just like most other foods, eating too much crab can have some negative side effects. Some of the nutrients found in crab—such as copper and zinc—can be harmful if you consume excessive amounts. But side effects rarely occur, and unless you have a seafood allergy, crab is a very healthy food to eat in moderation.

Is a 5 gallon bucket a bushel? ›

5 gallon bucket = 5/8 bushel.

How much crab is enough for 1 person? ›

Make sure you have enough crab legs

Our general recommendation is between one and two pounds per person. One pound per person should suffice if you have guests with mild appetites and you serving sides with your crab legs.

How many crabs to feed 12 people? ›

Boiled crabs: Plan on 2 to 4 crabs per person depending on size for boiled crabs. Generally, a bushel of #1 will hold 60-72 crabs, which will feed about 10 – 12 people. If other foods are on the menu, then only half as many crabs are needed. Also consider crowd and appetite level.

What is the size of #1 crabs? ›

#1 Male. The #1 Male crab, also known as a “Jimmy”, are typically the most sought after type of crab. They typically range from 5 ½ – 6 ¼ inches. They are easily identified by their blue claws and inverted t-shaped apron which resembles the Washington Monument.

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