There are two types of meat found in a crab, white and brown. Soft white meat is in the crab’s claws and body, while rich brown meat is in the main shell.
As any seasoned crab lover knows getting to that sweet, delicious meat inside a crab’s shell can be intimidating at first. But with some simple techniques and handy tools extracting crab meat doesn’t have to be complicated. This beginner’s guide covers everything you need to know to efficiently pick meat from crabs like a pro.
Why Bother Getting the Meat Out?
Crabs are encased in a hard shell or exoskeleton for good reason – it protects their edible and soft interior While you can eat crabs whole, it takes some work to break through all that shell to fully enjoy the tender meat inside Just as you wouldn’t eat a whole egg shell and all, most recipes call for crab meat sans shell.
Picking crab allows you to access the delicacy of sweet white crab meat from the body and claws. When carefully extracted, these large chunks stay intact for excellent texture in dishes like crab cakes. You also get the unique crab mustard from inside the body.
So learning how to pick crab meat is worth it for quality and versatility. Once you know what you’re doing, you can quickly get to the good stuff.
What You’ll Need
Picking crab requires minimal equipment:
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A small knife or seafood cracker/pick
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Heavy gloves for protection
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Small bowls or plates for sorting meat
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Mallet or nutcracker for hard-to-open areas
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Ice bath if processing live crabs
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Newspaper or tray to contain the mess
Step-by-Step Crab Picking Instructions
Here is a simple walkthrough for getting meat out of your crabs:
1. Clean and Chill the Crabs
For live crabs, quickly rinse and place in an ice bath for 5-10 minutes until sedated. Once cleaned and chilled, they are ready for picking. For already cooked crabs, simply start the process.
2. Remove the Top Shell
Turn crab over and pry off the triangular flap on the bottom, then lift off the top shell. Set aside if saving for stock.
3. Scoop out the Mustard
Use a small spoon to scoop out the crab mustard (inedible lungs and organs will be attached).
4. Break Off Legs and Claws
Twist and remove the legs and claws where they meet the body. Set aside.
5. Divide the Body
Turn crab over and insert a knife to bisect the body into two halves.
6. Extract Meat from the Body
Use your thumbs or a knife to pull meat from narrow channels in each body half. Deposit meat into a bowl.
7. Crack the Legs and Claws
Use a mallet or nutcracker to break apart legs and claws. Pick out meat and add to the bowl.
8. Check for Shell Pieces
Carefully feel for any stray shell mixed in the meat. Retain larger chunks for your recipe.
And that’s it! Refrigerate immediately until ready to use. Freeze for longer storage.
Tips and Tricks for Easy Crab Picking
Picking crab for the first time can be daunting, but gets much faster with practice. Keep these pointers in mind:
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Work over newspaper or a tray to contain juices and debris. Things will get messy!
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Don’t force cracks in the shell. Gentle, controlled pressure removes meat intact.
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Twist legs and claws to loosen meat before cracking. This prevents crushing the delicate meat.
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Try a seafood cracker or pick tool for precision extraction in hard-to-reach areas.
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Rinse hands frequently in lemon or vinegar water. This removes odors and bacteria.
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Chill a stainless steel knife to easily glide into tight spaces and loosen meat. Re-chill often.
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Divide work over time. Legs, claws, and body meat can be extracted when needed rather than all at once.
Storing Your Picked Crab Meat
Crab meat is highly perishable and should be handled with care:
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Keep freshly picked meat chilled over ice or refrigerated at 40°F or below.
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Place meat in an airtight container and use within 2 days for top quality.
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For longer storage up to 3 months, flatten crab meat in freezer bags and freeze.
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Thaw frozen crab overnight in the refrigerator. Do not refreeze after thawing.
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Cooked crab meat will spoil rapidly if left out for more than 2 hours.
What Kind of Crab Should I Pick?
Larger crabs with bigger claw meat and substantial body meat are best for picking whole. Good options include:
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Dungeness: Native to Pacific coastal waters, with sweet tender meat.
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King (Alaskan): The largest and meatiest crab variety. Prized for its flavor.
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Blue: Among the most popular crabs from Atlantic coastal waters.
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Stone: Another common choice along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
Smaller crabs or difficult-to-pick varieties are best for soups, stocks, and crab cakes where some shell is allowable. Just crack them open and scoop out what you can.
What Do I Do With My Picked Crab Meat?
Once you’ve mastered getting meat out of crab shells, a world of delicious recipes opens up:
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Mix into creamy crab dip for spreading on bread or veggies
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Fold gently into crab cakes, taking care not to overmix
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Sprinkle over salads, pasta dishes, and tacos or tostadas
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Stuff into avocados, tomatoes, or peppers as an appetizer
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Use as a pizza topping, adding after baking
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Create crab-stuffed baked fish like flounder or sole
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Mix with mayo and spices for crab salad sandwiches
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Add to seafood pasta, risotto, frittatas, and fritters
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Make crab quesadillas, lettuce wraps, or sliders
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Combine with cream cheese for a bagel topping
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Stir into seafood bisques, chowders, and soups
Is It Worth the Effort?
Picking crab meat takes time and work, especially for beginners. But the payoff of sweet, delicious meat ready for your recipes makes the effort worthwhile – not to mention impressing your family and friends with your handpicked crab dishes!
Start with small batches, be patient with yourself, and use the right tools to minimize frustration. Soon you’ll become an expert at how to get meat out of crab shells efficiently. Trust me, once you have that lump crab meat waiting in your fridge or freezer, you’ll be hooked. The flavor can’t be beat.
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Method1Lay the crab on its back and twist off the legs and claws2Holding firmly on to the shell, push the body section out with your thumbs3Pull off the ‘dead man’s fingers’ – these are tough and inedible and should be discarded4Scoop out the brown meat from the shell and reserve5Cut the body section in half (try not to shatter the cartilage when doing this as it will be difficult to remove later) and, using a small spoon or lobster pick, carefully remove the white meat 6Crack open the legs and pull out the meat with a lobster pick7Twist apart the claw sections then break the claws with the end of a heavy knife (when doing this, try to use just enough pressure to crack the shell not smash it into pieces as this will reduce the likelihood of bits of shell making their way into the dish). Remove the meat with a spoon or lobster pick.8Finally, pick through the crab to check for any stray shell. You may want to do this a number of times to be completely sure you don’t get a nasty shock when eating the crab!
Try this method and use the crab meat in Dominic Chapman’s crab ravioli with crab sauce, Theo Randall’s crab salad, Marcus Wareing’s crab benedict, or Simon Hulstone’s crab risotto.
How To Get Meat Out of Snow Crab Legs – Easy and Fast
How do you remove meat from crab legs?
Depending on the size of your crab, there might not be much meat in the smaller legs, but every bit counts. Twist each leg apart at the joints to break it down into segments. You can snip the legs open with scissors to remove the meat, or just squeeze the leg segment to extract the meat through the open end.
How do you prepare and eat a cooked crab?
Once the crab is cooked and cooled completely, lay it on its back and twist off the legs and claws. Holding firmly on to the shell, push the body section out with your thumbs. Discard the ‘dead man’s fingers’ – these are tough and inedible. Scoop out the brown meat from the shell and reserve.
How do you cut crab meat?
Next, use your scissors to snip off an end of each segment to create a large opening for the crab meat to exit. Then you’ll hold the segment in one hand, with the snipped end facedown on a cutting board or directly to your plate and tap with force until the leg meat falls out in one whole piece.
Does crab meat hack work on small crab legs?
A word of warning for those that enjoy every morsel of crab meat: This crab hack may not work so well on smaller crab legs, nor the finicky claws. You can use a crab cracker to free the meat, but there is an easier hack to seamlessly remove the crab meat from the legs without using your grip force.