Any seafood lover will tell you just how amazing crab tastes. Crabmeat is unlike any other and is very soft, delicate, and sweet-tasting that easily makes it one of the best kinds of seafood in the world. Crab can be cooked in several different ways, and all of the different options seem endless. The downside to crab, however, is cleaning them.
Many people may not know how to properly clean and care for a crab once they have one. Luckily we are here to help, and have compiled a list of steps that you need to clean a crab in under one minute! Yes, you read that right… one minute! Let’s get into it.
- Wash the crab clean under running water.
- Turn the crab upside down, and lift its apron. You can also use a knife to help you pry it off. Whether it breaks off or lifts off, completely remove it.
- Turn the crab back over, hold it firmly in your hand, and pull the carapace along with the apron. The carapace is the top shell. If you broke off the apron during the previous step, the carapace should simply lift off. Hold the crab firm, and slowly lift it off.
- Once the carapace is off, the crab will have its gills and insides exposed. Rinse the crab very well in order to remove the guts and everything else inside the crab. Pull out the gills to get them off. Once everything is removed, rinse the crab again in order to completely remove any small bits that you might have missed.
- Now that the crab is all cleaned, you are now ready to cut it. Place it on a flat surface and cut right down the middle with a strong knife. If you have them, you can also use a heavy-duty pair of scissors to cut the crab in half down the middle.
- Next, break off the claws of the crab and cut off the ends from the swimming legs. With the claws, crack them with the backside of a knife so that you can get out the meat once they are cooked.
And there you have it! A very simple and easy way to clean a crab that, when done correctly, takes less than a minute to get the crab completely ready for cooking. Many people avoid cooking with fresh crab because of how intimidated they are of actually preparing it. But by using this simple method, you can quickly and easily get a crab ready to cook and use in any recipe you have!
If you want a visual of how to clean a crab properly, the video below is for you:
Final Thoughts
Cleaning a crab doesn’t have to be hard. With a knife and some running water, you can accomplish this task in under a minute with a little bit of practice.
For more great ideas on how to fish and hunt from the experts, check out the awesome articles on our Bradley Smoker Hunting & Fishing Blog for more great tips & tricks.
