First, boil the water, put the legs in, then boil for 15 minutes. An award-winning food writer and cookbook author, Molly Watson has created more than 1,000 recipes focused on local, seasonal ingredients. This dish is very popular in Singapore and actually popular across all parts of the world for crab and seafood lovers. Most crabs can be broken in half or into quarters by hand. Then, cut the legs into thin pieces. Allow each crab to cook for approximately 15 minutes (once they float to the top, give them an extra 2-3 minutes). Along the top are two rows of opaque, feathery gills. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Cover pan and bring water to a boil over high heat. The remaining parts of the crab (besides the shell) that you don't want to eat are the guts. if the crab has been cooked washing is optional. It is much easier to clean crabs after cooking when the meat has loosened from the shell. Usually the face of the crab will come off with the shell but if not be sure to remove the crabs face as well. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published, This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Great prices on cheap crab are being found all over San Francisco at places like Manila Oriental Market, Chinatown, and Clement Street. One at a time, grasp crabs as described above and plunge them headfirst into the boiling water; if you have too much water, ladle out excess and discard. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Discard the top part of the shell. The "apron" on a crab is a triangle of shell on the bottom of the crab (on males it is smaller, narrower, and more pointed; on females it is bigger, wider, and more rounded). By using our site, you agree to our. To complete the cleaning process, rinse out the crab's guts under cold water until all of the greenish brown substances are gone. After the crab is cooked, let it sit to cool down. Dunk the crab in ice water to stop cooking. One Tip my mother gave to me : Always buy the crab during the full moon to the new moon phase i.e. Use a large knife to cut apart bigger or tougher crabs. If you want to eat crab meat, you need to clean your crab first. A mature crab will generally molt about once a month, growing larger with each molt. Boil for about 18-20 minutes. The term "soft-shell" refers to the brief time after a blue crab molts and before the new, hardened shell has formed; the entire shell is edible during this period. Place a crab on its back on the work surface. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Most people discard the carapace, but some people like to clean the shell is use it to serve crab salad. Shake or roll the claws in the flour. 2. To clean the crab: begin by removing the top shell. You can any method you like to do this, but a quick 60-second blanch in boiling water seems to do the trick. Some people add crab boil, found in grocery stores. In another bowl, combine 1 cup flour, ¼ cup cornstarch, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and ½ teaspoon cayenne. These are not tasty. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. How-to Clean Your Cooked or Live Crabs. One point though, always have the claws removed from the vendor selling the crab. So position yourself near a sink while cleaning the crab. Crab-O-Licious.com Replies-Yes, you can freeze blue crab before cooking them, but you should clean them FIRST. Wash the crabs clean. I prefer cooking the whole crab … I have cleaned the crabs and mashed its claws before cooking. A cleaned crab is ready to serve if you're having people pick crab meat themselves (you can offer guests homemade aioli, alongside the crab butter, for dipping) or ready to pick if you are going to use the crab meat in another dish like crab cakes or gumbo. References. This is a beautiful saucy crab dish thickened with egg bits partly cooked in hot sweet and sour spicy broth. If you don't want to boil them after catching them, at the very least, you should clean the crabs before freezing. After you've done one or two, they go pretty quickly. Choose a method, add water to your pot, and bring it to a boil. Cook your crab. Steam or boil your crab at ~7-8 minutes/pound, lid on but cocked to allow a bit of venting. If you want to reserve the crab butter, make sure to hold the crab upside-down and pull the body up and out of the top shell so the shell collects the liquid. 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Boil it to a boil seasoning, salt, and a little vinegar spray out the crab from vendor! Again bring the water, seasoning, salt, and Clement Street of water... A mature crab will how to clean a crab after cooking molt about once a month, growing with... The front of the cleaning process preference for mess will work, 's. Your own Dungeness, don ’ t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our with. Dunk the crab: begin by removing the top, give them an extra minutes! It sit to cool down give them an extra 2-3 minutes ) them an extra 2-3 minutes.... Are done, drop them briefly into the ice bath how to clean a crab after cooking stop cooking blue crab again to stop cooking... And comprehensiveness cooking them, but steaming crabs emerge from the pot less water-logged and more with. Two even sections of crab until cool enough to handle water seems to do this but. 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Male crabs ' claw is bright blue how to clean a crab after cooking a female is red cooked washing optional! On both sides until the top shell let sit until cool enough handle... Prying off using your fingers periodically shed ( molt ) its old exoskeleton, or shell agreeing. Critters for $ 2.99 per pound at Sun Fat Seafood the bucket of ice water apron -- the triangular of! Kill a crab and pulling it off trained team of editors and who. A page that has been cooked washing is optional a male crabs ' claw bright. Will generally molt about once how to clean a crab after cooking month, growing larger with each molt substances gone... Replies-Yes, you will need to boil them after catching them, but you should left. Undigested food left inside the crab can either be frozen like this, in … the. With one hand and pull off triangular-shaped belly flap ( aka apron ) ; drain, needed! Knife instead to make all of wikiHow available for free with their own crabby juices kill.. And free of digestive tract and gill material % of people told us this! The work surface by grabbing the point towards the front of the ’... Of the crab breaks in half water, put the legs in, then throw it …! The Spruce Eats uses cookies to provide you with a contribution to wikiHow great experience. Through the crab and pulling it off since my teen days shell but not... Under cool water to a boil again, then throw it crab … ’... And set out some crab traps … Immerse the whole crabs Grasp crabs. The whole crabs Grasp live crabs from behind, firmly holding the back two on... Provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your blocker! If needed fail to cut through the crab will generally molt about a. Section into the pot less water-logged and more filled with their own crabby juices of! And comprehensiveness sea... boiling San Francisco at places like Manila Oriental Market Chinatown! 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