How to prepare a crab
Preparing crab takes time, but it’s so rewarding. It tastes so much fresher and more flavourful, and putting in that extra effort helps us value the food we eat too, says Tom Hunt.
When you buy a live crab, store it in the fridge under a damp tea towel for up to three days. To cook, bring a pot of water (large enough to fit the whole crab) to the boil. Salt the water so that it tastes as salty as the sea.
It’s more humane to kill the crab before cooking. Also a live crab may shed its legs when boiled and killing it beforehand prevents this from happening. Flip it upside down and pull open the flap on the underside. Skewer the crab through the centre point with a small sharp knife or skewer and move from side to side. This will kill the crab instantly. The legs will go floppy but may still move and twitch with nerves. Watch my barbecued crab and broad bean bruschetta video below to see how to do this.
Put the crab upside down into rapidly boiling water, bring back to the boil then start timing. Crab takes 12 minutes per kilo to cook, so for example a 1.5kg crab will take 18 minutes. Once cooked remove the crab from the pan. Strain and keep the stock to make a fish stew or a paella. Stock will keep in the fridge for three days and it freezes well too.
Rinse the crab to remove any excess protein, then allow the crab to cool. Remove the legs and claws and set aside. Pull the body and shell apart, scrape all of the brown meat out of the shell into a bowl. Remove the pointed gills from the central part of the body and discard, then cut the body in half. Pick all of the flesh out of the honeycombed center into a bowl. Wrap the legs and claws, one at a time, in a tea towel and crack open with a rolling pin or hammer. A sharp thwack should do the job. Pick all of the meat out. Mix the brown and white crab meat together or keep separate if your recipe demands so. For a step-by-step picture guide to how to prepare a cooked crab, click here.
