How To Clean Crab: 10 Steps (with Pictures) - WikiHow

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow How to Clean a Crab Before Cooking PDF download Download Article Wash and dress your shellfish for proper prep Co-authored by Marrow Private Chefs

Last Updated: May 14, 2025

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  • Prepping the Crab
    • |
  • Removing Unwanted Parts
    • |
  • Completing the Cleaning Process
    • |
  • Expert Interview
    • |
  • Q&A
|Show more |Show less X

This article was co-authored by Marrow Private Chefs. Marrow Private Chefs are based in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. It is a chefs’ collective comprised of an ever-growing number of chefs and culinary professionals. Though regionally influenced primarily by coastal, traditional southern, cajun, and creole styles and flavors, the chefs at Marrow have a solid background in all types of cuisine with over 75 years of combined cooking experience. This article has been viewed 115,411 times.

If you want to eat crab meat, you need to clean your crab first. If your crab is live, you will need to boil it to kill it. You will also need to remove the shell and guts as part of the cleaning process. Once your crab is clean, you can cook and enjoy it.

Things You Should Know

  • Immerse lives crabs in boiling water for 1 minute to kill them, or immerse a frozen, dead crab in cool water for 15-20 minutes to thaw it.
  • Use kitchen shears to remove the face, cutting a straight line across the front of the crab. Then remove the underside of the shell as well as the gill underneath.
  • Hold the opened crab under cool water to rinse out the guts. Then split the crab by holding both sides and pushing the middle with your thumbs.

Steps

Part 1 Part 1 of 3:

Readying the Crab for Cleaning

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  1. Step 1 Kill the crab first, if necessary. 1 Kill the crab first, if necessary. If you purchased a live crab, it is necessary to kill it before cooking it. The simplest way to kill a live crab is to immerse the crab in boiling water for 60 seconds. Then, use tongs to remove the crab from the water and place it in an ice bath to cool.[1]
  2. Step 2 Thaw a frozen crab. 2 Thaw a frozen crab. If you are using frozen crab, thaw it out before cleaning it. Fill a sink with cool water and immerse the crab in the sink. After about 15 to 20 minutes, it should be thawed enough to clean. Advertisement
  3. Step 3 Allow the crab to cool and dry. 3 Allow the crab to cool and dry. If you boiled your crab, let it become cool to the touch before cleaning it. You should also let it dry off first, as handling a wet crab can be difficult. If you thawed your crab in water, let it dry before cleaning it.
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Part 2 Part 2 of 3:

Removing Unwanted Parts

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  1. Step 1 Cut the face off the crab. 1 Cut the face off the crab. Take a pair of scissors from your kitchen and use this to cut the face off the crab. The face includes the crab's eyes and mouth. Cut a straight line across the front of the crab, just behind the eyes and mouth, to remove the face.[2]
    • It is generally easier to use scissors to remove the face. However, not all scissors will be sharp enough. If your scissors fail to cut through the crab, use a sharp knife instead to make the cut.
  2. Step 2 Remove the abdomen. 2 Remove the abdomen. The abdomen of the crab is the small flap of shell on the underside of the crab. You do not need any special tools to remove the abdomen. Pull it off with your fingers.
  3. Step 3 Remove the gills. 3 Remove the gills.[3] You will see the gills underneath the abdomen. They resemble small, beige tongues. To remove the gills, grab them with your fingers and pull them off.[4]
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Part 3 Part 3 of 3:

Completing the Cleaning Process

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  1. Step 1 Rinse out the guts. 1 Rinse out the guts. Once unwanted materials are removed from the crab, it can be cleaned using water. Hold the crab under running tap water to rinse out the guts. These are the greenish brown substances found inside the crab. Keep rinsing the crab until the guts are completely removed.
  2. Step 2 Break the crab open to get the meat. 2 Break the crab open to get the meat. Now, you can get to the meat of the crab. This can be cooked after it is extracted. Turn the crab upside down. Hold it with both sides and place both thumbs underneath the crab, near the midline of the crab's back. As you push with your thumbs, pull down with your hands. The crab will crack open.
    • You should be left with two even sections of crab meat.
  3. Step 3 Cook your crab. 3 Cook your crab. Crab sections can be cooked in boiling water. Cook them for 12 minutes. Use a light amount of salt to flavor the crab.
    • If you want, you can serve your crab with melted butter.
  4. Step 4 Finished! 4 Finished!
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Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about preparing food, check out our in-depth interview with Marrow Private Chefs.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/cleaning-crab
  2. ↑ https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-clean-soft-shell-crabs
  3. ↑ Marrow Private Chefs. Private Chefs. Expert Interview
  4. ↑ http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/09/french-in-a-flash-soft-shell-crab-meuniere-recipe.html

Community Q&A

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  • Question How do you cook the legs? 李一岙 李一岙 Community Answer First, boil the water, put the legs in, then boil for 15 minutes. Take them out and soak them in cold water for 10 minutes. Then, cut the legs into thin pieces. Wrap them with bread bran and flour, heat the oil at a low temperature, fry the crab pieces in the wok until golden yellow. Remove from the heat and finish with a sprinkle of cumin. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 4 Helpful 3
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About This Article

Marrow Private Chefs Co-authored by: Marrow Private Chefs Culinary Experts This article was co-authored by Marrow Private Chefs. Marrow Private Chefs are based in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. It is a chefs’ collective comprised of an ever-growing number of chefs and culinary professionals. Though regionally influenced primarily by coastal, traditional southern, cajun, and creole styles and flavors, the chefs at Marrow have a solid background in all types of cuisine with over 75 years of combined cooking experience. This article has been viewed 115,411 times. 2 votes - 0% Co-authors: 5 Updated: May 14, 2025 Views: 115,411 Categories: Crab Article SummaryX

If you want to clean a crab, start by using a pair of scissors to make a cut behind its eyes and mouth to remove the face. Pull off the abdomen, the piece of shell on the crab's underside, before removing the gills, which are the beige tongue-like things you will see inside. To complete the cleaning process, rinse out the crab's guts under cold water until all of the greenish brown substances are gone. Then, extract the meat by holding the crab upside down and pushing down on both sides until the crab breaks in half. For tips on how to kill a crab before you clean it and how to cook a crab, read on! Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Marrow Private Chefs Co-authored by: Marrow Private Chefs Culinary Experts 2 votes - 0% Click a star to vote Co-authors: 5 Updated: May 14, 2025 Views: 115,411

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