How to Clean a Blue Crab

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Co-authored by Kyle Hall Reviewed by Chef Jeff Woodward

Last Updated: February 24, 2025 References

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Taking Off the Shell

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Cleaning Out the Insides

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Quartering the Crab

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Video

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Things You'll Need

Before you can cook and eat a blue crab, you have to clean it. To thoroughly clean a blue crab, you'll need to remove its shell (after it's been humanely killed) and clear out everything but the meat. Once your crab is clean, you can cook it as is or cut it into quarters so it's easier to eat.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Taking Off the Shell

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1
Kill the crab humanely before you remove the shell. If you’re using a live blue crab, submerge the crab in a large bowl of ice water for 2-3 minutes to stun it. Then, remove the crab from the ice water and lay it on its back. Use a knife or ice pick to stab the crab through its shell 1 inch (2.5 cm) below its mouth.^{[1]
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- You can also boil the crab for 1 minute to kill it. Numb the live crab in the freezer for 15 minutes before boiling. Then, remove the crab from the freezer and drop it in a pot of boiling water. Let the crab boil for 1 minute with the pot uncovered. After 1 minute, remove the crab using tongs and submerge it in a bowl of ice water so it stops cooking.^{[2]
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2
Pull the top of the crab’s shell off using your fingers. Stick your thumbs in the small opening at the backside of the crab. Pull in opposite directions with your thumbs until the top part of the crab’s shell tears from the rest of its body. Discard the top part of the shell.^{[3]
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- The crab’s 2 front legs should fall off when you pull off the top of the shell. If they don’t, gently pull them off the crab’s body.
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Lay the crab on its back so the bottom of the crab is facing up. Take a knife and wedge it under the edge of the crab’s abdomen, which looks like a triangle. Use the knife to lift the abdomen up. Then, pull the abdomen off the crab’s body using your fingers.^{[4]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Cleaning Out the Insides

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The gills are the thin grey muscles located on both sides of the crab’s body. To remove them, simply grab them with your fingers and pull them off. Discard the gills after you remove them.^{[5]
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Scoop out the crab’s insides. The area between where the crab’s gills were located is full of its guts. Tear off the thin tissue covering the guts with your fingers. Then, use your fingers or a spoon to scoop out all the guts inside the crab. Once you’ve cleared out all the insides, throw them away or save them as a seasoning for the crab meat.^{[6]
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- Make sure you're not throwing away the white crab meat. The meat is located on both sides of the crab, underneath where the gills were.
Hold the crab under a faucet or dunk it in a bowl of water to rinse it. Make sure any leftover guts or tissue is rinsed off the crab’s body before you continue.^{[7]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Quartering the Crab

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Lay the crab right-side up and hold a sharp chef's knife so the blade is running down the center of the crab’s body lengthwise. Push down on the top of the knife with your free hand so it makes a neat cut through the crab’s body. Separate the two halves.^{[8]
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Grab one of the halves of the crab and hold the knife so the blade is positioned in the middle of the 4 legs. There should be 2 legs on each side of the knife. Press down with the knife to cut the piece of crab in half. Repeat on the other half of the crab.^{[9]
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When you're ready to cook the crab, take it off the ice and boil the quartered pieces. You can also grill and roast the crab. Don't forget to add seasoning!