I need to get myself some blue crabs this year! Alternatively you can cut through the middle using a heavy duty scissors. Boiling is more common, but steaming crabs emerge from the pot less water-logged and more filled with their own crabby juices. 7. Between Roland and I, I’m the one who’s more obsessed with crabs. That’s the part that is somewhat triangle-shaped, coming to a sharp point. To Boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Apply pressure to the crab’s major joint with your hands, crab tools, or miscellaneous table items. Haha, I’m actually pretty proud of that :p. Before I married Roland, I have cooked Chilli crabs personally before. Note that a happy crab will be active and feisty when disturbed. 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. If you hail from Maryland, you've probably known how to pick a crab since you cut your first tooth. 3. Crabs don’t relinquish their sweet meat easily. Articles, Featured, © 2020 Australian Flavours | Multicultural recipes and cooking. Part 4 The crab can reach pretty far back under his body to pinch, but your upper fingers are quite safe. I swear it took us forever to clean 10 crabs. Using about ¼ cup of salt per 4 litres of water fill a large pot ¾ full and bring to a boil. You want your skin to be flat. Turn the crab over and pull upward on the shell from the back of the crab peeling it forward. Fortunately, you are able to purchase freshly cooked crabs, and even pre-cooked and picked crab meat from your local seafood monger/supplier. Once all the meat is out, make sure you crumb it through your fingers to check for any bones you missed. 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. Dungeness crab, on the other hand, are sweet, meaty, and easily two to three pounds. Some people like the knuckle meat the best since it has exceptional flavor. To do this, place the crab on its back. Press your palm down to break the chambers and pull apart if you decide to use your hands. A hermit crab my pinch loose skin. 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. Never buy a dead uncooked crab, as you don’t know when it was killed and it may no longer be safe to eat. Pick up the crab (once it's been in the ice water for five minutes you can handle it without tongs) and place it on a cutting board with the rounded blue side of the shell facing up and the larger pincher claws facing away from you. You've got a lot more will power than me if any of that crab actually made it into the bowl. Dig out the meat in whatever style you feel comfortable to do it. Eating crab is messy and time consuming so the puny guys are not worth the time. Get ready to be messy when cleaning a crab. Pick up a blue crab. Required fields are marked *. I picked about 20 crabs yielding about 8 ounces of crab meat. Pull all of the large chunks of meat out of the body, then break open the legs and claws using a mallet or nutcracker. "Some people eat to live; I live to eat." 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. You don’t boil crabs, you steam them, alive and whole. It is safe to pick up the hermit crab by the shell. Cut the crab in half. 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. Well, it's easy to eat clean crabs. Recipes, Slideshow, August 28, 2017 • Better check it twice….and enjoy. You can do this using your hands or knife. Use a mallet is used to crack open the claws. To begin, take a crab by the "points" and peel the back off. Now break off the claws (the two big claws). Use a paring knife to pick apart a crab. Remove and discard the leaf-like, spongy gills (also known as dead mans fingers) from either side of the body. For one thing, any dead crab gets thrown out. If you don’t want to use tools, picking apart a crab with your hands is just fine. I will be highlighting what was done with this delicious delicacy from the Chesapeake Bay in a future post. Here’s how. Ensure you clean out the inside of the crab and remove the gills, lungs, and digestive organs. King crab legs are the biggest, so you really may need both. 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. Halfway between this point and the edge of the shell where the crab’s eyes are, forcefully insert an ice pick. Just cut it in half. the people always patient. Finally...a really good lesson on picking crabs! 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. 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. Continue to 5 of 7 below. oh there used to be this little dive of a pick up blue crab and take home kinda place by my house. Dungeness crab, on the other hand, are sweet, meaty, and easily two to three pounds. 2. 5. The crab is all cleaned up and ready to cut now. The shell will detach from the body with some guts attached. Pam, those are the best places and thanks so much for your readership and for the well wishes! 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. Steamed with a mixture of beer, vinegar and water with lots of … 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. This is where it gets a little messy. Find a trangle shaped flap, called the apron, and tear it off. Australian Flavours is an attempt to save people from eating bland food, through providing delicious recipes, teaching cooking techniques, and educating the public on the availability of high quality produce. I wish there was a crab shack in Richmond. Put your strongest thumb into the hole you just created from the missing flap and slowly with pressure remove the entire shell away from the body. 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. My parents visited yearly and that was the time I can have fresh crabs. Thank you! Pick out the meat of the crab by using your fingers, fork, a pick or a crab claw. Articles, How to, December 21, 2013 • I’m so glad you’re here and hope you’ll visit often. Honestly, it was only a few years ago I learned how to clean it. enjoying the blog posts always. I can demolish a crab in minutes – clean! Turn the crab on its back and locate the apron. Split Crab Legs . Gently take out the meat from the crab’s legs. Place your thumb under the outer edge of the top shell that's closest to you. 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. Get myself some blue crabs ``, [ 3 ] [ Soups Stews. 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