How to Crack a Crab

Reviewed by Jennifer Levasseur

Last Updated: May 25, 2025

Have you picked up a delicious crab for lunch or dinner? This clawed crustacean may seem intimidating to eat at first, but it's really simple to crack open with the proper tools and techniques. We've covered everything you need to know about cracking a crab, so you can enjoy every last bit of it.

Ingredients

Whole cooked crab that has been dunked in an ice bath to stop the cooking process to make it easier to handle
Small bowls of melted butter

1

Begin by removing all the legs and claws.

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Sometimes crab meat comes out of the legs and swimmer fin; you can eat that right up.^{[1]
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2

Throw out the legs (fins) and save only the claws.

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3

Start on the shell and the body of the crab.

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The apron looks like a tab or a flap. Discard the apron; we are not going to eat that.

4

Grab the top part and bottom part in each hand.

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Apply pressure gently to separate the shells. Be careful when taking the top shell off. Throw out the top shell.^{[2]
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- Ensure you clean out the inside of the crab and remove the gills, lungs, and digestive organs.

5

Break the bottom half into two halves.

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You can do this using your hands or knife. Press your palm down to break the chambers and pull them apart if you decide to use your hands.

6

Pick off the chunks of meat in the body.

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You can use your fingers or thing metal seafood picks to pull the meat out.

7

Crack the claws.

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Sometimes people think there is not anything in them. However, these legs have juicy and sweet meat that you can use for soups or crab cakes. To begin, take the hinged seafood cracker and hit the claws with a crab mallet, or use your knife. The easiest way to open a claw:^{[3]
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- Take your knife and lay it with the sharp side down on the middle of the red side of the claw.
- Use the crab mallet to gently hit the knife until it is halfway through the claw.
- Lastly, swivel the knife to the side. The claw will open and make it much easier to grab the crabmeat.
- Once you have snapped the shell open, eat the meat. Make sure you avoid the cartilage.

Community Q&A

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Question

How can I heat up crabs?

Community Answer

You can boil water and add salt. When the water is boiling, reduce the heat, add the crabs, and let cook for approximately 3 minutes.

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