Crab legs are a delicious and popular seafood item, but eating them can be intimidating if you’ve never done it before. With a few simple tools and techniques, cracking and eating crab legs is easy. This step-by-step guide will teach you everything you need to know to enjoy crab legs like a pro.
What You’ll Need
Before you get started make sure you have the following on hand
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Cracked crab legs – King, snow, and Dungeness crab legs are common varieties. Purchase them pre-cooked and cracked for easy eating.
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Small fork or crab pick – These specialized utensils make it easy to pull meat out of the cracked shells. Metal skewers or chopsticks work too
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Crackers or scissors – Mini mallets, shell crackers, or kitchen shears help crack open stubborn shells.
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Dipping sauces – Drawn butter, cocktail sauce, and lemon wedges are classic pairings.
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Moist towelettes or finger bowl – Crab can be messy, so have something on hand for cleaning up.
Step 1: Twist and Pull Off the Legs
King and snow crab legs are already cut into segments for individual eating. Give each leg a slight twist and pull to detach it from the body. Dungeness crab will likely be served as whole legs.
Step 2: Crack Open the Shell
Crabs legs have a hard, outer shell that needs to be cracked before you can access the meat. There are a few ways to do this:
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Use a mallet, cracker, or scissors to crack the shell at the joints. A few solid whacks should do the trick.
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For a really hard shell, place the leg on a solid surface like a countertop. Hold it steady with one hand, then whack it with a meat tenderizer or hammer.
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As a last resort, use a heavy knife or kitchen shears to cut or snap through the shell.
The goal is to crack the shell without shattering it into tiny pieces. Work slowly until it cracks, then pull it open with your hands.
Step 3: Remove the Meat
Once cracked, the shell should open up to expose the meat inside. Use your fork, pick, or skewer to pull the meat out in chunks. Work down the length of the leg to get all the sweet crabmeat out.
If the meat doesn’t come out cleanly, try re-cracking the shell into smaller pieces. Pull out any stray bits of shell or cartilage.
For knuckle and claw sections, use your utensil to pull out the meat, then suck out any leftover juices and meat.
Step 4: Watch for Cartilage
Crab legs contain soft cartilage that runs their length. When eating, you’ll want to cut, break apart, or avoid these translucent whitish pieces. The cartilage isn’t dangerous, but many find it unappetizing.
Pinch off sections of meat and feel for cartilage before eating. Cut it off with your utensil or tear the meat with your hands to remove it.
Step 5: Enjoy with Dipping Sauces
Dip the crabmeat in butter, cocktail sauce, or other dipping sauces. Lemon wedges are great for drizzling over the meat as well. Eat crabmeat right from the shell or remove it as you go – your preference.
Don’t forget moist towelettes or a finger bowl for wiping hands. Crab can be quite messy!
Tips for Eating Crab Legs
Follow these tips and tricks for making the most of your crab legs:
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Look for the pointy end of the shell to start cracking. It’s thinner and easier to break open.
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Rotate and reposition legs as you work to get at the meat from all angles.
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Don’t throw out un-cracked parts. Use your pick to scrape out any remaining meat.
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Eat crabmeat soon after cracking open the shell for the freshest taste.
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Chill extra legs to enjoy later. Reheat briefly in the shell before eating.
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King, snow, and Dungeness are among the most popular eat-out-of-the-shell crab varieties.
With the proper tools and technique, eating fresh crab is a breeze. Following this guide will have you cracking and enjoying crab legs like an expert in no time. Just take it slow, work carefully, and have dipping sauces ready for sweet crabmeat at its best.
Crack the Claw
Many people like the meat in the claw best because it is the sweetest. You can also use a mallet or crab cracker to apply pressure and break into the crabs claw.
Start by applying a small amount of pressure to crack the shell and then build up the amount until you hear the shell crack. If you press too hard, you risk shattering the crab shell — no one wants to pick through shell pieces to get to the meat. If youre worried about juice spraying everywhere, you can wrap a dishcloth around the claws first.
Crack Open the Crab Leg
Once youve broken apart your crab legs at the joints, you can split them open to get to the meat. If you have a crab zipper, insert it into the crab leg and run it down the soft part of the shell to open the leg. Plenty of household kitchen tools can serve the purpose of a crab zipper — a sharp knife, kitchen scissors or a fork.
Depending on the type of crab, you may need to use different methods to split the legs open. For example, king crabs have a harder shell, which a crab cracker can easily break through. Want to know how to crack crab legs without a cracker? You can use a mallet or knife to pressure the shell and break it open.
How To Get Meat Out of Snow Crab Legs – Easy and Fast
FAQ
What part of crab legs can you not eat?
The part of the crab that is generally considered poisonous and should not be eaten is the crab’s internal organs, particularly the gills and the visceral mass (often referred to as the “crab mustard”). These parts can accumulate toxins and contaminants from their environment.
How to open and eat crab legs?
To enjoy crab legs, start by separating them from the body, then crack the legs and claws at the joints to access the meat inside. Use tools like crab leg crackers, kitchen shears, or even a flat meat tenderizer to help crack the shells.
What part of snow crab legs is edible?
You can eat the whole crab as long as it is a soft shell crab. Inedible crab parts such as the gills, abdomen, and mouth, are removed before cooking. This leaves only the crab’s meat and “soft” shell. Alaskan snow crab clusters and parts aren’t just delicious, but they are also suitable for you!