Handling and Cooking

Hard-shell crabs are picked of their meat after cooking.

• Simmer 10 to 15 minutes in salted water (½ cup salt/gal or 30 mL/L). Cool rapidly in ice water.
• Break off the pointed shell on the underside (called the apron) and remove the top shell.
• Remove and discard the spongy gills and the stomach, which is just behind the eyes.
• Pick out the body meat.
• Crack the legs and claws with a mallet or the back of a heavy knife and pick out the meat.

• With a knife or shears, cut off the head section, just behind the eyes (Fig. 20.16).
• Lift the pointed, outside corners of the top shell and pull out the spongy gills.
• Cut off the apron, the small flap on the underside.
• Dredge the crab in flour for sautéing, or bread or batter it for deep-frying.

• Crabmeat is usually watery. You may need to squeeze out excess moisture before cooking. Whenever possible, save the liquid for use in sauces and soups.
• Frozen crabmeat is already cooked. It needs only to be heated through to be prepared for serving.