Crab Fish in Spanish | Order It Without Getting Surprised

The safest all-purpose word is “cangrejo,” while “jaiba,” “centollo,” and “centolla” name specific crabs you’ll spot on menus.

“Crab” looks simple until you try to say it in Spanish and you bump into a pile of choices. Some words mean crab in a general way. Some point to a certain crab you’d eat in one region and barely see in another. A menu can use one term, a fish counter can use another, and a can in the grocery aisle can use “crab” on the front while the ingredients tell a different story.

If your goal is clear Spanish, clean ordering, and buying the right product for a recipe, you don’t need a huge vocabulary. You need a small set of core words, a few menu clues, and a quick habit for double-checking what you’re getting.

Why crab names change from place to place

Spanish is spoken across many countries, and seafood words stick to local fishing, markets, and home cooking. That’s why one term can be broad in one place and narrow in another.

There’s a second twist: the same word can refer to a whole crab at the fish counter, or to picked meat in a tub. Labels and menus often choose the wording that fits the product style, not the animal you pictured.

If you want a safe default that travels well, start with cangrejo. It’s the general term you’ll hear often, and it’s the main entry you’ll see in the Royal Spanish Academy dictionary. RAE definition of “cangrejo”

Crab Fish in Spanish: the core words you’ll hear

Let’s be blunt: Spanish speakers don’t label the animal as “crab fish.” They’ll say cangrejo or a regional crab name. People searching in English often type “crab fish” to mean “crab as seafood,” so this section maps that search habit to the Spanish words that actually show up in shops, recipes, and menus.

Cangrejo

Cangrejo is your workhorse word. Use it when you mean crab in a general sense and you don’t want to guess the exact type. It works in conversation, at a market, and in recipe titles.

You’ll also see it paired with clarifiers that steer the meaning:

• cangrejo de mar for sea crab
• cangrejo de río for freshwater “crab” talk (often pointing toward crayfish in everyday speech)

For products, carne de cangrejo reads naturally for crab meat. If you’re ordering, cangrejo is a safe opener, then you can ask what kind it is.

Jaiba

Jaiba is common in parts of Latin America as a crab term. You’ll see it on menus and in recipes, often tied to dishes that use picked crab meat or a swimming-crab style product. The Royal Spanish Academy includes jaiba as a crab term used in some Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas. RAE entry for “jaiba”

On menus, jaiba often signals “this is the crab people here expect,” not a giant spider crab. If you’re in Mexico and you see “tacos de jaiba,” you’re not ordering a random crab. You’re ordering a familiar local crab preparation.

One caution that saves awkward moments: jaiba can also show up as slang in some places. Context is your friend. On a seafood menu, it’s almost always the crab meaning.

Centollo and centolla

In Spain, especially in the north, you’ll see centollo and centolla for spider crab. Menus may treat them as named products rather than generic crab. The Royal Spanish Academy defines centollo and lists related synonyms such as centolla and changurro. RAE entry for “centollo”

If a menu says centollo, you’re usually looking at a specific crab, not a generic crab mix. If you’re cooking a dish tied to spider crab, swapping in a tub labeled carne de cangrejo can still taste good, but it won’t match the same texture and briny-sweet hit people expect from spider crab.

Other words you may run into

Depending on where you are, you may hear buey de mar (a big edible crab in Spain), nécora (a smaller crab popular in Spain), or local names that don’t travel far beyond a coastline. If you’re not sure, treat the menu word as a product name, then ask what kind of crab it is.

How to pick the right term when you’re buying or ordering

A simple two-step habit keeps you out of trouble: decide the setting, then decide how precise you need to be.

Step 1: choose a generic word or a named crab

• Talking broadly: use cangrejo.
• Ordering a dish you see on the menu: repeat the menu’s word (jaiba, centollo, nécora) so the staff knows you mean that item.
• Shopping for a recipe: match the recipe’s wording. If it says centollo, ask what crab it is at the counter.

Step 2: check if the word refers to meat or the whole animal

Menus and labels often tell you exactly what form you’re buying. Look for words that signal “whole crab” versus “picked meat.”

• entero: whole crab
• carne or pulpa: picked meat
• desmenuzada: shredded meat
• en su concha: served in the shell

If you only care about flavor and you’re mixing crab into a filling, meat form matters less. If you want big chunks that stay intact, look for wording that implies larger pieces, then handle the meat gently in the kitchen.

Pronunciation and grammar that make you sound natural

Getting the word right is half the battle. Saying it cleanly helps you get understood on the first try.

Quick pronunciation cues

• cangrejo: “kan-GREH-ho” (the j is a throaty sound in many accents)
• jaiba: “HAI-ba”
• centollo: “then-TOH-yo” in much of Spain, “sen-TOH-yo” in many Latin American accents
• centolla: “then-TOH-ya” or “sen-TOH-ya”

Gender and plurals

Cangrejo is masculine: el cangrejo, los cangrejos. Jaiba is often used as feminine: la jaiba, las jaibas. Centollo is masculine and centolla is feminine: el centollo, la centolla.

If you’re ordering more than one, plural forms help: “Dos cangrejos, por favor” or “Dos jaibas, por favor.” It’s simple, and it sounds steady.

Spanish crab terms by region and menu meaning

This table is a quick decoder for labels and menus. It’s built around common terms, where they show up, and what they usually signal so you can choose with confidence.

Spanish term	Where you’ll often see it	What it usually signals
cangrejo	General use across Spain and Latin America	Generic crab; ask the type if you care about the exact crab
carne de cangrejo	Grocery labels, salads, dips	Picked crab meat, often pre-cooked
jaiba	Mexico, Central America, parts of South America	Named crab term; often tied to local crab dishes
centollo	Spain, especially Galicia and the north	Spider crab product; often whole crab or a dish tied to spider crab
centolla	Spain; also used in parts of South America	Spider crab wording; treated as a named item
changurro	Spain (regional culinary term)	Dish name tied to spider crab meat
en su concha	Restaurant menus	Served in the shell, often as a presentation cue
entero	Menus and fish counters	Whole crab, not just picked meat

Grocery labels that cause mix-ups

Most “wrong purchase” stories come from one of two label traps: imitation products that look like crab, and real crab products that don’t match the type a recipe expects.

Surimi and “palitos de cangrejo”

If you see surimi or palitos de cangrejo, you’re usually looking at a fish-based product shaped and flavored to taste like crab. The front of the pack can still lean on the crab idea, so the ingredient list is where you learn what it is.

If you want actual crab, look for carne de cangrejo and check the back for a clearer description. If you’re in a market with a fish counter, asking for “carne de cangrejo cocida” often gets you closer to what you pictured.

Pulpa versus carne

Pulpa often means picked meat ready for croquettes, empanadas, or salads. Carne can mean the same thing. Some brands use pulpa to signal a cleaner, more uniform pack. If you want chunkier bites, look for wording that suggests pieces rather than shreds.

Fresh, frozen, and pasteurized tubs

Frozen crab meat is common and can be a solid pick. Pasteurized tubs are also common and can taste fresh when chilled. If your recipe depends on big pieces staying intact, add the crab late in cooking and stir gently. If your recipe is a filling, shredded meat works fine.

Ordering lines that get you the crab you want

You don’t need perfect Spanish to order well. A few clean lines do the job. Keep it friendly, keep it short, and ask one question at a time.

What you want	Simple Spanish line	What you’re asking
Confirm crab is in the dish	¿Este plato lleva cangrejo?	Does this dish include crab?
Check the type	¿Es jaiba o es otro cangrejo?	Is it jaiba or a different crab?
Whole crab or meat	¿Viene entero o solo la carne?	Whole crab or just the meat?
Avoid imitation	¿Es cangrejo real o es surimi?	Real crab or surimi?
Allergy check	¿Tiene marisco este plato?	Whether the dish contains shellfish

Cooking notes that match Spanish terms

Once you’ve got the right crab, cooking tends to stay simple. Crab meat dries out when it’s overcooked, and whole crabs can hide a lot of meat in odd pockets. These notes line up with common Spanish wording so you can react fast when you read a recipe.

When a recipe says “cangrejo”

If a recipe says cangrejo with no modifier, it often expects picked meat, especially in croquettes, salads, and fillings. If it expects a whole crab, you’ll often see cangrejo entero or a named crab like centollo.

When a recipe says “jaiba”

Recipes that call for jaiba often lean into sweetness and a softer texture. If you can’t find a product labeled jaiba, ask your fishmonger what crab meat they’d use for local “jaiba” dishes, then season with a light hand so the crab stays front and center.

When a recipe says “centollo” or “centolla”

Spider crab meat tends to be rich and briny. Dishes tied to centollo often keep seasoning simple: olive oil, salt, citrus, maybe paprika. If you substitute with generic crab meat, go gentle on heavy sauces so you don’t bury the crab flavor.

Mini checklist before you buy

This checklist keeps you away from the two classic regrets: buying imitation crab when you wanted crab, or buying a named crab product when your recipe only needed generic meat.

• Read the product name and the ingredient list.
• Look for “carne de cangrejo” if you want real crab meat.
• Spot “surimi” fast and decide if you’re fine with it.
• Match “centollo/centolla” to spider crab dishes.
• When ordering, ask one clean question: type, whole vs meat, then whether it’s surimi.

Stick with cangrejo as your base word, add jaiba and centollo to your “menu vocabulary,” and you’ll handle most Spanish crab situations without second-guessing yourself.