Discard the cartilage in the middle of the claws and legs.

Leave the … wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. Fill a large stockpot fitted with a steamer with a few inches of salted water, optionally adding a cup of beer or wine, cloves of garlic, and the seasonings and herbs of your choice to the liquid. Learn more... Spider crabs may look a little scary on the outside, but they’re chock-full of delicious meat. Brush the crab meat with butter or olive oil mixed and the seasonings and herbs of your choosing and cook on a medium-hot grill for approximately 4 minutes per side. Some people prefer to remove the shell and gills and cut the spider crab in half before grilling it.

Whether you're starting with the live crustacean or looking for a slightly more approachable option, here's everything you need to know about cooking crab. Remove the crab from the water and leave to cool before preparing. Whether it’s cooked or live, choose a crab that feels heavy for its size and smells fresh. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. © Copyright 2020 Meredith Corporation. This can be gumbo, stir-fry or bisque soup. Throw a crab-inspired brunch complete with Crab Cake Eggs Benedicts, Lump Crab Salad, and Cucumber Gazpacho with Blue Crab. Add a cup of milk or cream and stir until thick. Grasp crabs carefully from the rear end, between the legs, and put in a pan to make sure they fit, with 3 to 4 inches of clearance below pan rim.

Store bought canned crab meat is fully cooked and can be eaten straight from the can.

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They're frequently freshly steamed, coaxed from the shell, drenched in clarified butter, and heartily devoured with little more than the aid of a crab cracker, cocktail fork, and plastic bib to protect the connoisseur's clothing. Similar to baking, grilled crabs should be pre-cooked half way—about 5 minutes in boiling water or the steamer—cooled and cleaned before heading to the grill. Pull away and discard the feathery gills (also known as dead man’s fingers) – these are found around the main body and inside the shell. 2. The most traditional method of these is boiling the crabs in a large stockpot, filling the pot with enough water to completely cover all of the crabs, along with ½ cup salt for each gallon of water.

Thicken the juice with butter and flour. Southern Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. The refrigerator will probably kill the crab, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful! This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website.

Instead, place the whole crab on top of the grill. To get to cooked meat, first twist off crab legs and claws intact. Buying a crab. Ask the seller to kill it for you when buying spider crabs at a marketplace.

Typically, you can boil or grill your crab, and then pick out the meat once it’s cooked.

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\u00a9 2020 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. Use live crabs on the day they're purchased or caught; refrigerate until just before cooking. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
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\u00a9 2020 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. Crabs are best cooked immediately after killing, so ask your fishmonger to kill the crab, then take it home and cook it as soon as you can.

Crack the claws and legs using a heavy object like a hammer, kitchen mallet, knife sharpening steel or rolling pin.

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