Cooked crab meat packed in brine or its own juices. Spanish producers often use centolla or buey de mar from Atlantic waters, picked by hand and packed without much else added.

Sweet, delicate, and mildly saline. Because there is usually nothing but crab and brine in the tin, the flavor is cleaner and less muddled than crab in a prepared salad or dip.

On toast with butter and lemon, folded into a salad, or stirred into pasta or rice at the end. It is delicate enough that heavy sauces will cover it entirely.

No. Imitation crab is processed white fish shaped and flavored to resemble crab. Tinned crab is crab. Check the ingredient list, which should name the species rather than surimi.

Usually yes, and press it gently to remove excess liquid before using it anywhere texture matters. Save a spoonful of the juice if you are building a sauce.