A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Get Meat Out of a Crab

Eating fresh crab meat is one of life’s greatest culinary pleasures. The sweet succulent flesh is delicious in everything from crab cakes to seafood stews. However, extracting the meat from a crab’s hard outer shell can be intimidating for beginners. With the right techniques though, getting to that tender crab goodness is easier than you think.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through the entire process of humanely preparing crabs and efficiently picking out the meat. Follow these tips and you’ll be enjoying lump crab meat in your favorite recipes in no time.

An Overview of Edible Crab Meat

Crabs contain two different types of meat that are edible for humans

• White meat – This is the tender, sweet flesh found in the body and claws. White crab meat has a delicate flavor and flaky texture perfect for dishes where you want the crab to shine.

• Brown meat – The brown meat is found inside the body shell and legs. It has a richer, more robust crab flavor with a creamy consistency. Brown meat stands up to bold seasonings.

The goal when picking crab is to extract the white and brown meat while leaving behind the inedible parts like the shell and crab mustard or lungs. With practice, you’ll learn how to get large, intact pieces ideal for presenting in entrees or appetizers.

Now let’s get into the step-by-step process of picking crab meat like a pro.

Equipment Needed

Getting meat out of crab legs, claws, and bodies requires just a few simple tools:

• Small knife or seafood cracker/pick
• Heavy gloves for protection
• Small bowls or plates for sorting meat
• Mallet or nutcracker for tough areas
• Ice bath if preparing live crabs
• Sheet pan or tray to contain mess

The knife allows you to cut open chambers and joints to access meat. A pick makes it easy to pull meat delicately out of tight spaces. Heavy gloves keep your hands safe when cracking. The mallet or nutcracker helps break apart stubborn claw and leg shells. Finally, the ice bath humanely sedates live crabs before preparing them.

Step 1: Clean and Chill the Crabs

If using live crabs, start by giving them a quick rinse under cold water. Then place them in an ice bath for 5-10 minutes which allows the crabs to enter a hibernation-like state so they are unresponsive when handled. Once cleaned and chilled, the crabs are ready for picking.

If you purchased cooked crab, simply pat dry and move onto the next step.

Step 2: Twist Off the Legs and Claws

With the belly side facing up, firmly grip the top shell with one hand. With your other hand, twist each leg and claw where they attach to the body until they detach. It may take some effort, but they should pop right off. Set the legs and claws aside for later.

Step 3: Remove the Top Shell

Flip the crab over so the top shell is facing up. There will be a triangular shaped “apron” flap on the bottom. Lift this up with your fingers and pry it off. Then lift off the top shell in one piece and set aside if making crab stock.

Inside you’ll see feathery gills or “dead man’s fingers”. Scoop these out along with the crab mustard or lungs and discard.

Step 4: Split the Body and Scoop Out Meat

Turn the crab back over belly side up. Using a sturdy knife, cut straight down to bisect the body in half lengthwise. Then use your fingers or a pick to remove the white meat from the channels in each half. Deposit the body meat into a bowl.

Step 5: Crack and Pick the Legs, Claws, and Knuckles

Now it’s time to extract the meat from the legs, claws, and knuckles you removed earlier.

For the legs, simply use your hands to twist each segment off at the natural joints. Use a pick to remove the meat.

For claws and knuckles, place a heavy glove or towel over the area and use a mallet or nutcracker to crack the shell. Try to apply just enough force to break through the shell without shattering it. Carefully pick out the meat.

Step 6: Check for Any Shell Pieces

Examine the picked crab meat for any leftover shell fragments. Use your fingers to feel gently and remove anything you find. For presentation purposes, you may want to go over the meat several times to ensure there are no surprises when eating.

And that’s it – you now have fresh, lump crab meat ready to use in your favorite seafood recipes. Proper storage is important for preserving quality, so keep reading.

Storing Crab Meat Safely

Because crab meat is highly perishable, proper storage is critical:

• Keep freshly picked crab meat chilled on ice or refrigerated below 40°F.

• Place pasteurized crab meat in an airtight container and use within 2 days for best quality.

• For longer term storage up to 3 months, flatten meat in freezer bags and freeze.

• Thaw frozen crab in the refrigerator overnight. Never refreeze thawed meat.

• Cooked crab meat left out for over 2 hours at room temperature can quickly spoil.

Follow these guidelines and your harvested crab will stay fresh until you’re ready to cook.

Tips for Picking Crab Like a Pro

Getting meat out of crab shells takes practice. Keep these tips in mind:

• Work over a sheet pan or tray to contain the mess. Things will get juicy!

• Avoid forcing cracks in shells. Use controlled, gentle pressure to remove meat intact.

• Give legs and claws a twist before cracking to help loosen meat for easy extraction.

• Chill your knife periodically for smoother cuts into chambers and tight spaces.

• Rinse hands in lemon/vinegar water often. This removes bacteria and odors.

• Break up the work over time rather than all at once. Legs, claws, and body can be picked as needed.

• Invest in a quality seafood pick and cracker for difficult spots.

Take your time, use the right tools, and you’ll be rewarded with plenty of sweet lump crab meat for your recipes.

Best Crab Varieties for Picking

Larger crab species with substantial claw, leg, and body meat are ideal candidates for picking by hand. Great options include:

• Dungeness – Native to the Pacific Northwest, prized for tender, sweet meat.

• King (Alaskan) – The largest crabs, offering hearty portions of moist flesh.

• Blue – A popular choice from Atlantic waters with delicate flavor.

• Stone – Abundant on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts with firm, tasty meat.

Smaller crabs or difficult species may be better suited for dishes where some shell is acceptable, like soups and stocks where you can just scoop out what meat you can.

Using Your Fresh Crab Meat

Once you put in the work extracting crab meat from shells, you’ll want to put it to good use. Here are some stellar ways to enjoy lump crab meat:

• Fold gently into crab cakes, avoiding overmixing.

• Mix with creamy cheese for dips and spreads.

• Top salads, pasta dishes, and tacos or tostadas.

• Create crab-stuffed baked fish like sole or flounder.

• Add to seafood risottos, frittatas, and pasta bakes.

• Stuff into avocados, tomatoes, or peppers.

• Mix with mayo and spices for crab salad sandwiches.

• Add richness and depth to chowders, bisques, and seafood stews.

• Grill or sauté for simple crab tacos and sliders.

Let your imagination run wild with ways to savor your fresh picked crab. Homemade dishes beat anything from a restaurant when you start with hand picked lump crab meat.

Is Picking Crab Worth the Time and Effort?

While picking crab meat is labor intensive, especially for beginners, the reward of sweet lump crab ready to cook makes it well worth the effort. Approach the task with patience, use proper tools, and employ the techniques here to minimize frustration.

Soon you’ll be able to efficiently extract perfect portions of crab for any recipe. Once you have that sweet meat waiting in your fridge or freezer, you’ll never settle for canned or imitation crab again. When it comes to amazing flavor and texture in your seafood dishes, freshly picked crab is the only way to go.

So grab some live or cooked crabs, prep your tools, and get ready to pick like a pro. Let us know in the comments if you have any other great tips for getting meat out of crab shells with ease. Now get cracking and savor that fresh crab flavor. Your tastebuds will thank you.

The part of the crab that is generally not eaten is the lungs, also known as the gills. These are feathery, cone-shaped structures found along the outer edges of the crab’s body, sometimes called “dead man’s fingers“ or “devil’s fingers“.