Learn how to clean, how to open, and how to crack a crab (video included)! This guide covers everything you need, so you can get right to eating and enjoying your Dungeness crab.
Whether you have crab legs, crab sections, or an entire cooked crab, you will learn: how to open a crab, what tools you need, every step to cracking crab legs, and how to store cooked crab.
Plus Im answering questions on whether you need to cook crab purchased from the store again prior to eating, as well as how to do so! Not to mention suggesting a few of my favorite crab recipes.
Now, lets get to cracking so you can enjoy your seafood dinner! I know Im digging into this Crab Pasta with lemon garlic sauce or this Cajun Crab Boil every chance I can! Or eating the crab as-is with this seafood boil sauce that makes the perfect pairing!
How to Crack Crab Video!
Whether you have store bought crab legs, crab sections or an entire crab, you will need a few tools to successfully crack and open crab.
Large Bowl.
You will need this to discard all the crab shells and gills into. If youre working with a large amount of crabs, its best to work with 5-gallons buckets, like we do. Thanks to life on the coast!
Small Bowl.
Get a small or medium bowl (depending on how much youre cracking) ready for collecting the crab meat.
Crab Crackers.
You will need a seafood cracking set for cracking crab legs. You wont need these for removing the body of the crab. This seafood cracking set comes in handy if you dont have one. If you already have picks then consider grabbing my ultimate favorite seafood crackers.
Crab Picks.
These come in extremely handy when picking the crab meat from the smaller legs. Our fingers are a little too big for this job!
How to Open Crab Legs (How To Crack Open Crab Legs)
Start by cracking crab legs using seafood crackers.
Peel back the shells, tossing them into your large discard bowl or bucket. Place all the crab meat in a small bowl.
For the smaller legs, you will need to use seafood picks to remove the meat. If the crab crackers are too large for smaller legs, you can simply rip the shell as best as you can, then use the picks to remove the crab meat.
Remember to always pick through the crab meat once more prior to eating!
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How to clean and prepare a whole crab
How do you cut a crab in a cleaver?
For a smaller 1.25kg / 2.5lb crab, cut the body into 4 pieces. Using the cleaver, cut the body in half down the middle (step 2 below). Stand one half on its side and cut down through it, so you have two pieces each with legs attached. Repeat with the other half. (Cutting the body up is easy as the shell is quite soft.)
How do you cut a crab body?
The crab body should be cut into 4 or 6 pieces, depending on how large the crab is. For a large crab around 1.75kg / 3.5lb, I would cut the body into 6 pieces (two halves, each cut into three). For a smaller 1.25kg / 2.5lb crab, cut the body into 4 pieces. Using the cleaver, cut the body in half down the middle (step 2 below).
How do you break a crab?
Most crabs can be broken in half or into quarters by hand. Use a large knife to cut apart bigger or tougher crabs. Sure, fishmongers will do it for you, but once you see how easy it is to clean fresh crab, you may opt to do it yourself.
How do you get crab meat out of a crevice?
A nut pick or cocktail fork can help you get the meat out of the crevices, or suck it out if you’re feeling hungry. Move on to the body of the crab. You can pick the meat out with your hands or strike it while it’s on a cutting board to loosen the meat. Keep in mind that not all crabs are the same.