While there is nothing wrong with these, and in truth they are quite convenient, the fact is that if you want to lower the cost of purchasing the prepared crabs, buy them fresh and try it yourself… Not only will you have the satisfaction of rescuing the delicious meat from the maze of shells, you will get great value for your dollar. Pick out the meat of the crab by using your fingers, fork, a pick or a crab claw. Break off and discard the mandibles, which are the mouth parts at the front of the crab. Put the cleaned crabs into the pot with most of the water (crabs will run around if there is no water) and then soak them in water for about 10 minutes. Either I learn how to clean a crab or just go to my uncle’s house when they have it. Turn the crab over and pull upward on the shell from the back of the crab peeling it forward. The Spruce / Molly Watson. the lines were always long. Better check it twice….and enjoy. Remove and discard the leaf-like, spongy gills (also known as dead mans fingers) from either side of the body. Pull all of the large chunks of meat out of the body, then break open the legs and claws using a mallet or nutcracker. From there you should clean out the junk from the inside and then cut the mouth off, she said. Years ago, me and my roommate decided to buy crabs. Pick up your hermit crab and set it in the water. Use your dominant hand to do so. (More to enjoy.) Remove the deadman’s fingers. It is safe to pick up the hermit crab by the shell. From my experience, I found the entire process from buying the crabs to cleaning the crabs for cooking rather simple. An avid home cook, I believe in using simple ingredients, local when possible and am inspired by the principles of supporting a sustainable food system. Hold the crab in one hand and lift up on one point to remove the top shell. While eating crab in restaurants is fun, it's always a good thing, and a whole different experience, to buy one from the market and cook it at your own leisure. Once you have a claw picked clean, you can use the pointy pincer to pick out meat from the rest of the crab. Dungeness crab, on the other hand, are sweet, meaty, and easily two to three pounds. Find a heavy crab. Halfway between this point and the edge of the shell where the crab’s eyes are, forcefully insert an ice pick. Haha, I’m actually pretty proud of that :p. Before I married Roland, I have cooked Chilli crabs personally before. Pam, those are the best places and thanks so much for your readership and for the well wishes! Ensure you clean out the inside of the crab and remove the gills, lungs, and digestive organs. oh there used to be this little dive of a pick up blue crab and take home kinda place by my house. Once all the meat is out, make sure you crumb it through your fingers to check for any bones you missed. To begin, take a crab by the "points" and peel the back off. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat – a Cookbook Review, Our Time at the Good Food & Wine Show, Sydney 2018, Red Brussels Sprouts with Speck and Pistachios, An Evening With Chef Simonetta & Truffles, How To Know What Vegetables Are Available. Comments. "Some people eat to live; I live to eat." From there you should clean out the junk from the inside and then cut the mouth off, she said. It is not necessary to wash the crab at the point. Honestly, it was only a few years ago I learned how to clean it. I picked the latter. Rinse out the greenish-brown guts. If you want to clean a crab, start by using a pair of scissors to make a cut behind its eyes and mouth to remove the face. Dig out the meat in whatever style you feel comfortable to do it. I picked about 20 crabs yielding about 8 ounces of crab meat. Recipes, Slideshow, August 28, 2017 • Some people like the knuckle meat the best since it has exceptional flavor. I wish there was a crab shack in Richmond. You can do this using your hands or knife. Crab mallet; Optional: old newspapers, seafood cracker, paper towels, beer; Steps. Before you begin, cover your table with old newspapers. Use a mallet is used to crack open the claws. Rinse out the greenish-brown guts. That’s the part that is somewhat triangle-shaped, coming to a sharp point. Yum!!! Get ready to be messy when cleaning a crab. The crab is all cleaned up and ready to cut now. Place your thumb under the outer edge of the top shell that's closest to you. Note that a happy crab will be active and feisty when disturbed. Pull the small … 2. Whether it’s cooked or live, choose a crab that feels heavy for its size and smells fresh. Pretty good description. Remove the crab from the pot and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool the shell for handling. If it’s alive, make sure it looks fairly active. I’ve cultivated this blog as a way to share my passion for the preparation and enjoyment of food in a way that everyone from beginners to long time foodies can get involved in. Just cut it in half. ", [3] [Soups and Stews] [recent] [Soups and Stews], 9 Pick him* up with tongs or carefully with your hands, making sure to grab at the back of the shell. I can demolish a crab in minutes – clean! Finish your crab by cracking the hard-shelled claws and knuckles. Crabs don’t relinquish their sweet meat easily. … enjoying the blog posts always. You want your skin to be flat. Press your palm down to break the chambers and pull apart if you decide to use your hands. Apply pressure to the crab’s major joint with your hands, crab tools, or miscellaneous table items. Heavy means there is a lot of muscle and that's what we want. Using about ¼ cup of salt per 4 litres of water fill a large pot ¾ full and bring to a boil. Cut off the "face" of the crab where it joins the lower shell and remove the internal organs by scraping them out with a knife. Make sure to stretch your hand as much as you can. Between Roland and I, I’m the one who’s more obsessed with crabs. Well, it's easy to eat clean crabs. To do this, place the crab on its back. Part 4 7. Cooking, cleaning, cracking, and shelling crab can be a chore. You'll want to cook the crabs before you clean them. Fortunately, you are able to purchase freshly cooked crabs, and even pre-cooked and picked crab meat from your local seafood monger/supplier. You can crack the legs just like the claws, but many crabs have soft enough shells on their legs or you can snip them open with a pair of kitchen scissors. Sometimes we see Dungeness crabs, which are really huge and makes the cleaning difficult. Although we understand that your food budget can be an issue, we aim to motivate people to choose "flavour" first, even if for just a couple of select meals per week. If you're choosing crabs from a tank or cooler, look for feisty specimens. If you don’t want to use tools, picking apart a crab with your hands is just fine. 3. The purpose is to clean the dirty water brought in when washing crabs. Thank you! Remove and discard the leaf-like, spongy gills (also known as dead mans fingers) from either side of the body. Turn the crab on its back and locate the apron. Guide to Crabs: how to clean and pick meat from a crab Seattle is best known for salmon but my favorite local seafood is the Dungeness crab. Required fields are marked *. Articles, Featured, February 21, 2019 • Eating crab is messy and time consuming so the puny guys are not worth the time. Remove the abdomen with your fingers (also called the apron, it is the flap of shell on the underside of the crab). Pick up the crab leg with both hands. Immerse the crabs whole and again bring the water to the boil to cook the crabs for about 15-20 minutes depending on size. Split Crab Legs . So there you have it - picking blue crabs. To begin, take a crab by the "points" and peel the back off. King crab legs are the biggest, so you really may need both. For one thing, any dead crab gets thrown out. This video shows how to clean a blue claw crab (Callinectes sapidus).-Please put your crabs in ice water to numb them so this is as humane as possible. Articles, How to, December 21, 2013 • Stretch out your hand and hold it with your palm facing up. Pull off the abdomen, the piece of shell on the crab's underside, before removing the gills, which are the beige tongue-like things you will see inside. But if you're from anywhere else in the country, chances are you're at a loss when a beautiful crab is placed in front of you. Flip the crab onto its shell so the belly is exposed. 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