How to Pick Crab Meat Like a Pro

Crab is one of the most delicious and coveted types of seafood. But enjoying those sweet chunks of crab meat requires doing the work to pick the meat out of the crab shell first. While crab picking may seem intimidating as a beginner, it just takes learning a few techniques to extract the meat efficiently. Here is a comprehensive guide on how to pick crab meat like a seasoned pro.

Get the Right Crabs

To end up with the best quality and quantity of crab meat, you need to start with high-grade crabs. Here are some tips:

• Choose crabs that feel heavy for their size, indicating they are meaty inside. Light crabs will yield less meat.

• Select crabs that are alive and kicking up until cooking, Avoid any dead or lethargic crabs

• For the sweetest flavor, opt for crabs that were caught fresh the same day whenever possible.

• The top crab varieties for picking include blue crabs, Dungeness, and stone crabs Each offers plump, tasty meat.

• Buy crabs that are 4-6 inches across for good meat yields Larger crabs tend to have more shell and smaller crabs produce little meat

• Figure on about 1⁄4 to 1⁄3 pound of crab meat yielded per crab, depending on the size.

Starting with high-quality, fresh crabs is key to having the best experience when crab picking.

Cook the Crabs Correctly

Before picking out the meat, the crabs need to be cooked properly to make the job easier. Here are some tips:

• Boiling is the most common cooking method. Use ample water, seasonings like Old Bay, lemon, and garlic, and cook for 15-20 minutes until the crabs are bright red.

• Steaming is another popular cooking technique. Use a couple inches of liquid like wine or beer at the bottom of a large pot. Steam for about the same time as boiling.

• Grilling crabs over direct high heat works well also. Turn the crabs a couple times until the shells turn red and begin to blacken in spots, about 10-15 minutes.

• When cooked, let the crabs cool until you can handle them. Chilled crabs are ideal for easier picking.

Proper cooking ensures the crab meat will release cleanly from the shells and makes your picking job much easier.

Have the Right Cracking and Picking Tools

Before you start picking, make sure you have the proper tools for efficiently cracking open the crab and extracting the meat:

• Crab mallet or small hammer to crack the shells.

• Crab cracker for splitting legs, claws, and other tight spaces.

• Small knife, skewer, or pick for digging out meat.

• Nutcracker for cracking claws and legs.

• Seafood fork for pulling and shredding meat.

• Small bowl or tray to collect the crab meat as you pick.

Having the right tools on hand will optimize your crab picking productivity.

Pick Through Each Crab Section Methodically

To extract all the meat completely, it helps to work through each section of the crab in a systematic way. Here is the optimal order:

1. Remove the Top Shell

Flip the crab over and pry off and discard the top tapered shell. Scrape out any yellow “mustard” to remove the gills.

2. Crack the Legs

Use the mallet to crack the legs and knuckles. Use a pick or knife to pull out leg and knuckle meat.

3. Open the Body

Crack open the body cavity to expose the meat inside.

4. Remove the Claws

Twist and crack open the claws to extract the lump claw meat in bigger pieces.

5. Scoop Out the Body Meat

Dig all the body meat out in chunks. Try to keep large pieces intact.

6. Break the Leg Tips

Finally, crack the narrow leg tips to scoop out the remaining leg meat.

Following this order ensures you get all the prime meat sections out while leaving the smaller bits for last.

Pull the Meat Out in Chunks

As you pick, try to remove the white meat in larger chunks rather than shredding it. Here are some tips for keeping the meat in big pieces:

• Use picks and skewers to gently ease the meat out after cracking each section.

• Avoid shredding the meat by pulling chunks out whole.

• For claw, leg, and body meat, keep pieces at least 1 inch across or larger if possible.

• Try to keep lump claw meat in even bigger chunks for appearance.

Extracting the meat in sizable chunks will lead to a better looking, higher quality crab meat result.

Know When to Discard Shell Pieces

As you pick crab, you’ll need to be selective about which pieces to keep and which to discard:

• Always keep the snowy white leg, claw, knuckle, and body meat. This is the sweetest premium meat.

• You can keep smaller flakes and shreds for using in dishes rather than serving alone.

• Discard any dark or yellow bits of fat or organs.

• Don’t keep any lightweight pieces of shell or cartilage.

Being choosey about only keeping flaky white meat will give you the best end product. Discard any pieces that aren’t pure meat.

Check for Any Remaining Meat

Before discarding the shells, take one more pass to make sure you’ve extracted every last bit of meat:

• Turn each section over and double check for any remaining chunks.

• Use a pick to poke into crevices and joints for hidden morsels.

• Break bodies further to uncover elusive bits of meat.

• Don’t forget to check the small body cavity for leftover meat.

• Visually scan cracked shells and feel for any meaty lumps before throwing away.

Picking crab requires some meticulousness to get 100% of the meat out. Don’t let any precious morsels go to waste!

Preserve and Use the Crab Meat

Once picked, the crab meat should be enjoyed fresh or preserved properly:

• For immediate use, keep crab meat chilled on ice or refrigerated.

• To freeze, first dry and divide the meat, then freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months.

• Refrigerate pasteurized crab meat for 5-7 days. Freeze for longer duration.

• Use crab meat in appetizers, salads, seafood rolls, crab dip, soups, casseroles, and more.

With some careful storage, you can enjoy your hand-picked crab meat for many meals to come.

Get Faster at Picking with Practice

Picking crab efficiently takes some practice. But you will speed up with time and experience:

• Work over a tray or large bowl to catch all the meat and juices.

• Invest in quality tools to make cracking and prying easier.

• Pick crab when fully cooled or chilled for best results.

• Try different picks, skewers, and techniques to determine what works best.

• Time yourself and try to beat your record. Consider it a fun game!

• Pick crab communally with family or friends and learn from each other.

With repetition, you’ll be amazed at how fast you can pick tasty meat from crab.

Cracking and Picking Tips and Tricks

• Tap claws lightly with the mallet rather than full overhead swings to avoid crushing the meat.

• Use a table vice to easily crack claw and leg shells if you have one available.

• For stubborn claw meat, use a pick or skewer in the joint hole to release the meat.

• Cut crabs in half lengthwise to easily scoop meat from both sides of the body.

• Rinse hands frequently in bowls of lemon water to easily remove shell and spice residue.

• Spread out newspaper or butcher paper to keep your workspace clean while picking.

Get Expert Picking Lessons

For hands-on instruction right from the pros, take a crab picking class:

• Phillips Seafood offers picking classes at their crab processing plant on Hoopers Island, Maryland.

• Local crab shacks like Jimmy’s Famous Seafood in Maryland offer periodic crab picking classes.

• Check for crab picking lessons at seafood restaurants or community centers, especially in crab-loving regions.

• Watch online instructional crab picking videos to learn techniques.

Getting in-person expert guidance can help you master proper crab picking skills quickly.

Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labor

While it does take some time and effort, picking your own fresh crab meat is extremely rewarding. Here’s why it’s worth it:

• You get amazingly sweet, fresh crab meat at its peak quality.

• You can control exactly how much shell and cartilage makes it into the meat.

• Picking your own allows you to afford and use premium jumbo lump meat.

• It’s satisfying learning and becoming skilled at a traditional culinary craft.