How to Clean a Crab

Fresh crab meat can be used in several recipes, and can even be used to make a delicious soup. Cleaning a crab can be the most challenging part of preparation, and you'll need to cook the crab completely before starting the cleaning process. When you're done steaming or boiling the crab to perfection, you're ready to clean it out and prepare the meat for your dish; here's how to clean a crab in a simple and efficient way.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Medium-sized bowl (for pieces of crab shell)
• Small bowl (for crab meat)
• Fork

1. Prepare the crab for cleaning. Remove the cooked crab from your steaming or cooking pot and rinse under cold water for three to five minutes. Set aside.
2. Remove the apron of the crab. The apron is located on the edge of the crab and can be snapped off with your thumb and forefinger.
3. Get rid of the carapace. The carapace is located right under the apron and must be removed completely. When you remove the carapace, you'll also be removing the guts of the crab; make sure you remove all of the guts completely during this step.
4. Rinse the crab. Spray the crab with warm water and scrub thoroughly to remove all of the guts and other tissues.
5. Remove the mandibles. The mandibles of the crab can now be removed; push them back and snap them off to remove them.
6. Remove the crab gills. The gills are located on either side of the crab and must also be removed. Just pull them back and snap them off.
7. Rinse the crab again. The crab may still have pieces of guts and other tissues trailing in small areas; make sure everything is rinsed off completely.
8. Crack the crab. Flip the crab over so that the underside is facing upward, then break it in the middle to crack it open. This will reveal the fresh crab meat inside.
9. Pull out the meat. Carefully remove the chunks of meat from the shell, and place on a small plate or bowl for serving.
10. Season and serve. Use your favorite seasonings to serve the crab, or mix it into a salad for a fresh and healthy meal.

Tips & Warnings

• Crab can be served in its shell; just dress it up with oil, lemon juice or vinegar before serving.
• Use a small fork and knife to pull out the meat if the crab is served in its shell.
• Crab in its shell can be frozen for future use.
• Freshly prepared crab rarely needs a sauce or dip; use seasonings sparingly for maximum flavor.
• Don't leave crab meat uncovered in the fridge or at room temperature for longer than an hour.