How To Clean A Crab

Live Crabs

It is neither humane nor good cooking practice to put an animal that hasn’t first been killed humanely into boiling water as the stress will make the meat tough. As most amateur cooks don’t have the skills to kill an animal humanely, RSPCA Australia recommends that the general public do not buy live crustaceans. Rather crustaceans should be purchased – raw or cooked – after being humanely killed by trained professionals.
See the RSPCA website for further details.

Dead Crabs

Here’s how to clean a crab after it has been humanely killed (scroll down for a step-by-step video):

1. Lift up the flap attached to the back of the top shell.
2. Insert a thumb under the flap and use it to lever the top shell off towards the front.
3. Most of the inedible organs will come away with the shell.
4. Break off the eyes and the shell holding them in place.
5. Lift out and discard the grey feathery gills (‘dead man’s fingers’) from the body.
6. Use a small spoon to remove the remaining internal organs.
7. Wipe with a clean, damp cloth.
8. Twist off the large front legs.
9. Quarter the body.
10. Crack the large legs and nippers with crab crackers so the flavours and heat can penetrate.

Cooked Crab Meat

If using meat from cooked crabs, use a crab pick to extract it from the body and legs, checking carefully for bits of cartilage.