Save
If you love sweet and succulent crab meat learn how to dress a crab in a few simple steps and increase your arsenal of kitchen skills.
Dressed crab is a perfect summer dish, with sweet white crab meat balanced by the more flavoursome creamy brown meat, all enjoyed from the crab shell which doubles up as an elegant serving receptacle.
While you can buy ready dressed crab from the fishmonger it's cheaper and much more rewarding to know how to do it yourself. Find out how to dress a crab in 8 easy steps below:
Watch: 6 Michelin star chefs cook crab
How to Clean Crab
1. First remove the crab claws and legs by breaking the knuckle joints and twisting the legs off where they meet the body.
2. Next, separate the body from the shell by pushing the body section out with your thumbs.
3. Then pull off the "dead mans fingers" from the body and throw away.
4. Scoop out the brown meat from the centre of the body section with a small spoon and keep it separate from the white meat.
5. Next, cut the body section into two pieces using a sharp knife and remove all the white crab meat using a lobster pick. At this point you should be left with a clean and hollow shell.
6. Next tackle the claws by twisting them apart and using a sharp knife to crack the shell then use a lobster pick to remove the meat. - Be careful it's clear of shell and cartilage.
7. Return the prepared white and brown meat to separate halves of the prepared crab shell.
8. Plate the prepared crab shell with some good-quality mayonnaise, brown bread and a slice of lemon. Garnish with fresh parsley, if you like.
Watch how to remove crab meat in this simple clip from the Great British Chefs:
