Cleaning crabs is an easy process to master. Here we show you how to clean a Blue crab in just a couple of minutes.

Cleaning crabs are a messy job that comes with an icky factor. Before you serve the crab on the plate you should save all the gooey mess for the sink so you can enjoy your meal at a clean dinner table.

If you have a frozen whole Blue crab make sure that it is thoroughly thawed. You can do this by letting your crab thaw out in the fridge over night, by putting the crab in some cool water for 10 minutes or by wrapping your crab in wet paper towel and microwaving on the defrost setting for 3 to 4 minutes.

Same goes for a recently steamed or boiled Blue crab, you want to make sure that the crab is easily handled without burning your fingers. There’s not many thing that are worse than hot crab goo spilling out onto your hands. You can cool your crab by placing it in a sink full of cold water for 4 or 5 minutes.

Ready to get your hands dirty? Great!

Grab your Blue crab and bring it to your kitchen sink. I like to have a bucket close by for the discarded shell but a plastic bag will work just fine. Start the cold water tap and prepare to get mucky. Turn your crab over to expose it’s underbelly. Pull of the triangle flap, called and apron, and discard it. With your crab still upside down, pull the entire top shell off by grabbing the face area and prying it apart. Try and keep as much of the guts in the shell and throw it into a bucket or garbage bag.

Now flip your crab over to reveal the parts you need to clean. Put the crab under the runing water and pull away the gills that are directly on top. These gills are the only part of the crab that is not healthy to eat. Scoop out the rest of the guts with your fingers and rinse one last time.

You know you have a clean crab when all that is left is the white meat of the body.

Now you are ready to reap the rewards of your labour.

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