Cleaning a live crab

Crabs that have not molted their hard carapace can be slightly more tricky to clean. When using a live crab, chill it in the freezer for at least an hour before preparing, to render it dormant. It is unsafe to cook a dead crab unless you know exactly when it died. Once dormant, a crab is much easier to prepare than you might imagine.

1 Lay the dormant crab on its back. With a very sturdy, sharp knife, pierce the crab rmly through the mouth, between and below the eyes, bringing the knife sharply down to the board.

2 Lift up and pull off the triangular tail ap (apron). Hen crabs have rounded aprons; the male apron is long and thin. It is useful to know if you have a hen, so you can watch out for any roe (a delicacy) later.

3 Turn the crab on to its front. At the head end, rmly press down on the shell, then pull the shell up and away from the legs and body.

4 With sturdy scissors, trim off the gills (dead mans ngers) from the body. Locate and discard the spongy bag (the stomach) behind the eyes.

5 With a very sturdy, sharp knife, cut the crab body into halves or quarters, depending on size and the cooking method.

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Removing the meat from a cooked crab

Whatever the species of crab, the same parts need to be located and removed during the dressing process. As the meat is pre-cooked (see box, facing page), any reheating needs to be done with care to prevent losing the sweet avor. Collect the white and brown meat in separate bowls and return to the cleaned shell to enjoy as dressed crab.

1 Lay the crab on its back on a chopping board and rmly grip a claw. Twist it away from the main body cleanly and forcefully. Repeat with the other claw, and with the legs. Set aside.

2 Set your thumbs between the carapace and main body at the head of the crab. Firmly lever the main body away from the carapace. It should come away cleanly in one piece. Pull away the tail (apron) from the body.

3 Pull away the gills (dead mans ngers) from the main body and discard any that have been left behind in the carapace.

4 Cut the main body into halves or quarters. Using the back of a small teaspoon or a seafood fork, pick the white meat from the body chambers.

5 Gently press the mouth shell down to break it from the carapace. Pull away the mouth and the stomach sac should come with it.

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Techniques

6 Position a large, sharp knife on the groove on the underside of the carapace and carefully crack the edges. Remove the excess shell.

7 Scoop out the brown meat from the carapace with a teaspoon. Watch out for buttery tomalley (liver) or yellow roe, as they are both delicacies.

8 Use the back of a heavy knife to crack the legs at their narrowest point. Pick away the white meat with a seafood fork.

Boiling crab
Boil the crab for 15 minutes per 1lb 2oz (500g) in a very large saucepan with enough heavily salted water or court bouillon (see page 302) to cover. Ensure the liquid is rapidly boiling when you add the crab and start timing when the liquid returns to the boil. Large crabs may take longer to cook, as they have a thicker carapace. Once cooked, if the crab is to be eaten cold it should be cooled rapidly, not only for safety reasons but also to help the meat draw away from the shell, making it easier to remove. Place the cooked crab in the bottom of the refrigerator, well away from other perishables.

9 Crack the claws using a heavy implement, or claw crackers. Take care not to use too much force, as this will damage the delicate meat.

10 Remove the piece of thick cartilage from the claws with your ngers and extract the white meat with a seafood fork.

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