How to Cook and Clean Crab

The bounty of the sea astounds. Whether you've purchased your crab at the docks, or you've gone out into the ocean to get it yourself, there's just two things to do before you can eat it: cook it and clean it. Here's how.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Stove or Propane Cylinder with Torch Attachment and Metal Stand
• Lighter
• Towel,Apron
• Hose
• Extra Large Pot
• Water
• Rock Salt
• Bowl
• Nutcracker
• Gloves (if desired)
• Lemons
• Lined Garbage Can

1. When you get your live crab home put them outside someplace shady and cool or in the refrigerator. A tub or container might be necessary to keep them from wandering off.

2. HEAT
   Stove: Place a cup or two of rock salt into the bottom of the extra large pot. Fill the pot 3/4 with crab. Fill with water, making sure to just cover over the crab. The water line should still be well below the top to ensure that the water won't boil over. Place the filled pot on the stove and turn on the burner. It may take more than one burner to heat the water depending on the size of your pot and amount of crab and water in it. Once the water has come to a boil, cook the crabs in the boiling water for 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes, turn off the stove and take out the crabs with the tongs. Put cooked crabs somewhere near a water source (sink, hose, etc.)

3. HEAT
   Propane Set-up: Place metal stand outside in cleared area away from flammable items and near a hose (these stands can be found at hardware stores as turkey frying apparatus). Bring propane cylinder and torch close enough for the torch to reach the center of the metal stand. Bring hose close enough to spray. Place the extra large pot on the metal stand and fill as in "Stove" instructions. Fully open propane cylinder nozzle and light the torch. Place torch directly under the pot held in place with bricks, woodblocks, cinder blocks, etc. Wait for crab to boil, and cook as directed in "Stove" instructions. When the crab are finished cooking, turn off propane cylinder valve completely and remove crab as in "Stove" directions.

4. Once the cooked crab have been removed, run cold water from a hose or sink over them to clean and cool them. They are now ready to be cleaned.

5. BACKING THE CRAB
   The crab still have their organs in them, and those must be removed. To do this you must take off their back plate and clear and wash the inside cavity. The backplate is removed as such: hold the crab in one hand back side up. Use the other hand to pull the backplate up and away. Turn the crab over and remove the triangular section in a the same way. Now remove the gills and intestines from inside and along the back. Note: the mustard brown colored goo is called "crab butter" and some find it a treat, so if you like save it. If not, wash the crab thoroughly with cold water to remove any non-meat substances. Since crab meat is white, any unwanted remains should be easy to spot.

6. PICKING THE CRAB
   This is where the gloves might come in handy. Lining your table or surface with layers of newspaper will help control the juices for cleanup. Bring out a large bowl, the lined garbage can, and a towel for your hands and arms. Wearing an apron is advisable, too. Break off the last section of one of the legs. This is the smallest section and ends in a nice point. This is your picker. To crack open the bigger sections and especially the claws, a nutcracker will be a useful aid. Use the picker to coax the meat out of the legs and body cavity (the body has a lot of cartilage you will need to tear it away to reveal more of the meat). Discard shells and cartilage in the lined garbage can and put the meat in the bowl (if you can keep from eating it immediately).

Tips & Warnings

• Tip: Lemons will get the smell off your hands fairly well. I just cut them in half and use them like soap.
• Tip: Sourdough sandwiches is our traditional 'picker's meal', because after all that picking it's hard to work up the steam to cook anything too fancy. Just mix a little mayo with the meat. Salt and pepper, too. Toast the bread and pile it high with crab. Enjoy!
• Tip: If you have more crabmeat than you can eat in the next day or two, consider freezing it. Our technique is almost as good as fresh. Put meat in a freezer safe container and fill to cover crab with milk. The fat in the milk helps the meat stay tender, even after a deep freeze. Lasts in the freezer for 2-3 months. Thaw in a colander over a bowl (to catch the thawed milk) in the refrigerator.
• DO NOT ATTEMPT TO COOK RAW DEAD CRAB. ONLY LIVE (MOVING) CRAB ARE SAFE TO COOK AND EAT.
• KEEP RAW AND COOKED CRAB AWAY FROM DOGS AS IT CAN CAUSE SICKNESS.