How To Crack Crabs Like A Pro

Crab is a delectable seafood that is well-known among seafood enthusiasts. Crab meat is the king of seafood due to its soft, delicate, and out-of-this-world sweetness.

We know there are many out there who enjoy eating crabs but tend to avoid it because of the hassle of cracking them and how time consuming it is. Crabs are delicious, but they are messy and difficult to eat for many first-timers. Today, we’ll help you unravel the mystery of how to eat crabs like a pro! No more avoiding these delicious delicacies just because of the trouble it takes to eat them. A crab feast can be both a fun and delicious experience and we don’t want you missing out! 

Let’s get cracking! 

Step 1: Start With Cooked, Clean Crabs

Cooking and cleaning crabs is a simple process, but most types of crab can be purchased already cooked and cleaned. 

If you’re using live crabs, here’s some things you should do beforehand: 

• Make sure to kill it first. You can do this in any way you want, but a quick 60-second blanch in boiling water works well.
• To stop the cooking, immerse the crab in ice water.
• Wash the crabs clean under running water. 

Step 2: Prepare To Get Messy 

Cracking crabs may be a messy affair, you might want to lay the table with a tablecloth or plastic cover so you can easily break the crabs without the hassle of having to clean up so much afterwards. 

Step 3: Separate The Legs And Claws

Most crab legs are easily removed from the body with a simple twist and pull. Larger crabs can require an ease of separation with a nutcracker. You can discover some meat in the legs if you crack them in half, but usually you can’t find much in there. 

Drag the claws off the end of a large knife and break them. It’s important to note that this step is crucial and you have to use just enough pressure to crack the shell of the claw and not smash it into pieces. Remove the meat off the crab with a spoon or a crab pick. The mother lode, the luscious lump crabmeat, is on the base of the legs, which are called backfins.

Take the claw on both sides, rip it off and dig in. To clear the meat from the cracked claw, use a small fork (skewers and chopsticks also work nicely). You can even use the pincer (once you’ve cleared the meat) to dig out and eat the remainder of the crab. You can crack the legs like the claws, although there are many crabs with soft shells on the legs, so you can break them apart with a pair of scissors. The choice is up to you! 

Remember to look for some covered meat on both sides of the claw.

Step 4: Turn The Body Of The Crab On Its Back

After removing the crab legs and claw, begin with removing the “apron” at the middle of the belly and continue working up to the shell. You should then turn the body of the crab on its back. Flip over the crab and put the tip of the knife between the shells in the opening of the apron while supporting the bottom. Turn to loosen the back shell of the crab and expose the inner cavity. Remove the grey, spongy gills from the bottom side. 

Step 5: Breaking The Crab In Half

Begin to break crabs by halves (or quarters for larger specimens). Most types may be broken by hand, although strong knives or cleavers can tackle harder coats, if needed. (Try not to break the cartilage since later it would be hard to remove the meat from them) Then carefully remove the white meat with a small spoon or lobster pick and indulge in the decadent meat. Splitting the crab in half allows you to see the crabmeat separated, making it easier for you to dig out the meat.  If you are using your hands, press down to break the chambers and then pull apart. 

Finally, pick through the crab to check for any stray shell. You may want to do this a number of times to be completely sure you don’t get a nasty shock when eating the crab! After these steps, just dig in and get as messy as you’d like, because indulging in the meat will make the entire process worth it. 

Want to test your crab cracking skills now? If you are looking to enjoy a crab feast at home, you can check out crab delivery Singapore for an array of mouthwatering, juicy and plump Sri Lankan crab dishes. You can also enjoy side dishes that’s typically enjoyed with your crabs such as sambal kangkong, Guinness pork ribs, drunken prawns, cereal prawns and fried chicken with prawn paste. It’s a seafood heaven!