Meaning & use
Alaskan crab
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable or uncountable
A large crab, especially king crab, that is caught in the cold seas off Alaska and eaten as expensive seafood.
Grammar: Countable for the animals, uncountable for the meat: Alaskan crab was on the menu.
Patterns
- a plate of Alaskan crab
- Alaskan crab legs
We ordered a platter of Alaskan crab for the table.
Alaskan crab legs are often sold steamed and frozen.
The fishing boats left port in search of Alaskan crab.
Word forms
| plural | Alaskan crabs |
|---|
Common combinations
- Alaskan crab legs
- He cracked open the Alaskan crab legs with a small mallet.
- Alaskan king crab
- Alaskan king crab is one of the most prized seafoods.
- fresh Alaskan crab
- The market sells fresh Alaskan crab on Fridays.
- Alaskan crab season
- The Alaskan crab season is short and dangerous for fishermen.
- Alaskan crab fishery
- The Alaskan crab fishery is closely managed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- king crab
- King crab names the species, while Alaskan crab names the place it comes from and may also include snow crab.
- snow crab
- Snow crab is a smaller, thinner-legged species also caught in Alaska, so it is only one kind of Alaskan crab.
- Dungeness crab
- Dungeness crab is caught along the Pacific coast from California to Alaska, but is a different, rounder species.
Word family
- Alaska proper noun
- the northwestern US state
- Alaskan adjective
- relating to Alaska
- crab noun
- a shellfish with a broad shell and strong claws
Commonly confused: Alaskan crab or imitation crab?
Alaskan crab vs imitation crab
Imitation crab is a processed fish product, not real crab from Alaska.
Practice
What does the phrase Alaskan crab mainly describe?
Choose one answer.
Alaskan crab refers to large crabs, especially king crab, from the cold waters off Alaska. Imitation crab is the processed fish product, which is why the third option is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Alaskan crab”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.