Delicious steamed crabs are common in many seafood restaurants, and sea side markets. Freshly harvested from the ocean, they are usually offered for sale within a short time of being brought onto the boat. For many people, shellfish are an attractive part of their diet due to the many health benefits they provide, as well as the delicious taste which can differ between species and will depend on where they were harvested. For the newcomer or beginner, breaking into the puzzle box that is a crab shell to get at the meat can turn into a complete headache unless you know a few basic tips to help you along.
A Few Tools and some Determination
Before you begin, make sure you are wearing casual clothes since this can be a somewhat messy experience until you get the hang of it. But don’t worry, the delicious insides are more than worth the hassle it takes to get at them. Have a small mallet, dull knife, nutcracker, or crab scissors handy since you will need them.
* Step one: remove all of the legs with a twisting motion and set them aside.
* Step two: turn the crab on its back and grab the tail area, simply break it off
* Step three: separate the top and bottom shells like you are opening an Oreo cookie
* Step four: use a small knife to remove the meat from the top and bottom shells
* Step five: grab the claws you set aside, use the crab scissors to break them apart
* Step six: enjoy the tasty meat as it is or place it in a salad or crab cake!
Unfortunately, you may have to do this many times in order to get enough meat to satisfy your tastes since each adult hard shell crab only has about 15% meat compared to its body weight. You will end up disposing of the entire shell, the gills, the internal sandbags, the mouthparts, and anything that is yellow in color as these are all in edible.
Searching for an Easier Option?
Admittedly, not everyone likes the idea of ripping apart a once living creature no matter how good it tastes. Luckily for those people, crabmeat can come already prepared in a small tub or pouch which saves you the hassle of tearing apart the shell yourself. In addition, you can also ask the salesman at the fish market or seafood bar to prepare your crab for you in advance which means he will separate it and remove the inedible parts for you. But don’t worry, if you choose to go this route the other hard-core crab eaters won’t make fun of you… for too long anyways.
