How to Clean and Crack Cooked Crab

1. Pull the top shell off with your thumbs. Break off the claws and legs, including the knuckles (the part connected to the claws and legs). 2. Pull off and discard the feathery-looking gills around the center section of the body. Wash any of the yellow-green tomalley and internal organs away. (We used to eat the tomalley or “butter,” but it is not recommended to do so because it’s a catch basin for heavy metals.) To easily get the meat out, cut the body section in half, rinse well, and pick out all of the meat with a crab pick. Discard the body shell. 3. With kitchen shears, cut the claws and knuckles in at least a couple of places. This makes it easier to get at the meat. Pick out the meat and add to the body meat.