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FISH AND SEAFOOD » CRAB Co-authored by:

wikiHow Staff
How to Eat Crabs wikiHow Staff Writer

Co-authors: Updated: Views:

83 Recipe Ratings | Success Stories Download Article
32 October 25, 842,369
Co-authored by wikiHow Staff 2022
Last Updated: October 25, 2022 References Tested METHODS
1 Preparation
Crabs are delicious to eat but they are messy and for
2 Eating the Crab 84% of voters found this recipe helpful.
many first-timers, they are a puzzle to eat. Here you
OTHER SECTIONS 83 votes - 84%
will unravel the mystery and discover a quick and Questions & Answers
Click a star to add your vote
easy way to eat a crab! Video WATCH NOW

Tips and Warnings

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References
Article Summary

John Smith
Oct 18, 2017

"A brilliant article on crab which I've never

cooked or prepared myself before. With a
Things You Should Know picture accompanying every..." more

More success stories

Pull off the crab's legs and claws with your hands; save the claws, but toss the legs.
After removing the top shell from the crab's body, break the bottom in half and pick as much Quizzes
meat from the body as possible with a fork.
Use a cracker, mallet, or knife to break open the crab's claws, and enjoy the meat inside.

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1 Prepare your table. Eating crabs is messy, so the table needs to be readied for
splashes and leftovers. Lay down some newspaper or heavy-duty paper to protect the
table, to absorb the juices, and to make clean up easier.[1]

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2 Gather a crab mallet, dull knife, and a claw cracker if desired.[2]

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3 If you haven't already cooked the crabs, do so. Steam the crabs; blue ones will
usually turn deep red. Normally crabs are steamed with a layer of seasoning.[3]
For some ideas on how to cook crabs, see further: How to cook crabs, How to
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1 Pull off all the legs and claws with a twisting motion. You can use a dull knife
inserted into the joint to make removal easier. Sometimes a little meat will come out
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2 Toss the legs (fins) and save the claws. (You will get to them in a minute.) How to Open and
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3 Turn the crab over on its back. Open the apron––the apron looks like a tab.

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4 Take the top half and the bottom half in each hand, as if you are opening a
peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Pull off the top shell. Take care and do this
How to
Prevent Spring
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Enjoy Watching
slowly. Toss the top shell. Allergies Baseball Games

You will have cleaned out the crab and have removed the gills to show the shell.

5 Take this bottom half and break it in half.

Now take one of the halves and with a knife (or your hands) cut it in half.
If you are using your hands, press down to break the chambers and then pull apart.
Now you should have the meat exposed. Use your fingers to pull the meat out and
enjoy! Use your knife to get the meat out of the smaller chambers.

6 Pick away all the chunks of meat in the body. Start with the claws.

7 Crack the claws by using the hinged cracker, hitting them with the crab mallet,
or using your knife. The most efficient way to open a claw:
Lay your knife, sharp side down, on the middle of the red side of the claw.
Then use the crab mallet to gently hit the knife, until the knife is halfway through the
claw.
Finally, pivot the knife to the side. That will open the claw and make it easier to eat.
Then snap the shell open and eat the meat, avoiding the cartilage.

Did you know you can get answers researched by wikiHow Staff?
Community Q&A Unlock staff-researched answers by supporting wikiHow

Question

Can you eat the yellow stuff in crabs?

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

This is actually known as the "tomally" and is considered a delicacy in many parts of the
Support
world. This wikiHow
is an organ by crab
in the unlocking thisthe
that fulfills staff-researched
role of the liver answer.
and pancreas. If your crabs
come from an area where there is pollution you should avoid eating it since pollutants can
accumulate in this part of the crab.
Helpful 13 Not Helpful 7

Question

Can all crabs be eaten?

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

No, there are some species of crabs that can be highly toxic and there is no antidote. These
crabs areSupport wikiHow
mainly from by unlocking
the Xanthidae this
family, staff-researched
which is a large and answer.
diverse group. Due to this,
you should never eat any crab that has not been properly identified.
Helpful 12 Not Helpful 7

Question

Is the yellow stuff in crabs poop?

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

No, this is called the "tomally" and is an organ special to crabs and lobsters that functions as
both theirSupport
liver andwikiHow by Itunlocking
pancreas. is safe to this staff-researched
eat as long as the placeanswer.
the crab was fished is not
polluted.
Helpful 13 Not Helpful 6

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Video

Tips

Look thoroughly through the crab chambers, because you do not want to miss any good
meat.

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Warnings

Don't attempt to eat a living crab straight from the sea. This will result in much pain.

As with most sea life, there are small parts everywhere, so do go about this carefully.

Crabs have many tiny and not so tiny spikes. Be careful of how you handle the crab or it will
get its revenge.

The claws have a "bone" (cartilage, actually) in the claw, so be careful to slide this off when
eating.

Things You'll Need

Crab (steamed & seasoned)

Crab mallet (looks like a small wooden hammer)

Knife

Crab cracker or metal nutcracker (optional)

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References

1. ↑ https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/cooking-tips-techniques/how-to-eat-crab
2. ↑ https://www.mantripping.com/food-and-drink/how-to-eat-blue-crab.html
3. ↑ https://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/how-to-cook-crab
4. ↑ https://www.eater.com/2015/6/5/8730223/how-to-eat-crabs-baltimore
5. http://www.foodnetwork.com – research source
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyzNL8X2cDE

About This Article

Co-authored by:
wikiHow Staff
wikiHow Staff Writer

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers
validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team
carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by
trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 842,369
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Co-authors: 32
83 votes - 84% Updated: October 25, 2022
Views: 842,369

Categories: Crab

In other languages:

Español: comer cangrejo Bahasa Indonesia: Memakan Kepiting untuk

Italiano: Mangiare i Granchi Pemula
Português: Comer Caranguejos Nederlands: Krab eten
Русский: есть крабов ‫ﺗﻧﺎول اﻟﺳﻠطﻌون‬:‫اﻟﻌرﺑﯾﺔ‬
Deutsch: Krabben essen 中文: 吃螃蟹
Français: manger du crabe 한국어: 게 먹는 방법

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