Indulging in the chaos of breaking a just-cooked crab truly brings a sense of satisfaction and joy like no other – whether you’re relishing a seafood banquet or hosting your crab boil at home! Understanding the art of cracking and savoring every succulent bite of crab meat is essential, for anyone who appreciates seafood or is dipping their toes into this world for the time.
This manual, by WNF Caviar Heritage company, provides you with a walkthrough, on how to crack and savor boiled crab like a true expert eater would. The guide also includes suggestions to elevate your dining pleasure so you can fully enjoy the seafood feast that awaits you. Let’s delve into the craft of enjoying cuisine!
Selecting the Appropriate Crab
When it comes to preparing to eat crab before diving in and cracking the shell open for a feastful meal adventure selecting the crab is key as there are crab varieties each, with its distinct taste and mouthfeel options available.
The Dungeness Crab is well-loved on the West Coast for its mild taste, with a good amount of meatiness.
The blue crab is a tasty crustacean that is commonly savored in regions spanning from Maryland to Louisiana.
Snow Crab is famous, for its elongated and slender legs. Provides a salty yet sweet meat that is simple to remove from the shell.
King Crab is widely recognized as the most iconic crab species known for its legs filled with delicious and succulent meat.
To have a dining experience, with crabs at their quality and taste, at WNF Caviar Heritages table selections are carefully curated from suppliers to guarantee the freshness of live or recently boiled crabs.
Breaking open a crab can be quite challenging if you don’t have the tools, on hand! Here are some key instruments that can simplify the task and keep things tidier;
Crab crackers or nutcrackers are tools, for cracking open the shells of crab legs and claws.
Seafood skewers or forks are ideal, for reaching into the nooks and crannies of crab shells to extract every morsel of meat.
When handling King Crab claws that’s hard to crack open without damaging the delicate meat inside you may find it useful to use a small mallet as a tool, for gently breaking the shell without causing any harm to the succulent meat, within.
Make sure to have paper towels or napkins ready when eating crab as things can get messy.
Butter and lemon are not just ingredients; they are companions that elevate the taste of your crab dish.
WNF Caviar Heritage suggests preparing your dining area with a bib or newspaper to enjoy the experience, to the fullest.
Step 1 involves eliminating the legs and claws.
When you’re getting ready to eat boiled crab for a meal start by taking off its legs and claws. Hold the crab with one hand. Carefully twist off the legs where they attach to the body using a motion. The same approach works well for removing the claws.
Here’s a helpful tip to get started. It’s best to begin with the legs before tackling the claws when preparing seafood dishes, like crabs or lobsters! The meat in the legs is usually softer and easier to access compared to the claws; consider it a gentle warm-up before diving, into the attraction.
Step 2a. Open the claws.
The prized meat, in claws, is often found within their hard shells that are difficult to crack open easily with a crab cracker tool without squashing the delicate meat inside; thus requiring a gentle touch and careful handling to avoid any mishaps while extracting it out for consumption.
After cracking open the claw with a seafood pick and delicately extracting the meat, inside it reveals its tender and sweet nature. One of the most delightful aspects of enjoying crab meat.
Top Tip. When dealing with King Crab legs or claws that’s particularly thick and tough to crack open by hand consider using a mallet, for a gentle tap, before applying the cracker for a cleaner break of the shell.
Step 3 involves taking off the shell.
Now it’s time to prepare the crab, for cleaning and cooking by turning it to access its underside where a small flap called the “apron” is located; simply lift and remove the apron carefully.
After taking off the apron of the crab shellfish tool, with care you can slide your thumb or a seafood pick, beneath the shell and gently raise it to expose the inside cavity of the crab.
A helpful tip is to check inside the crab’s cavity for “crab butter” or tomalley. Which’s the crab’s liver! While some enjoy its richness; others opt to steer clear of it. Especially if you’re just starting!
Step 4. Get the crab ready, for cooking.
Once you’ve taken off the shell make sure to get rid of the parts that can’t be eaten. This includes removing the gills (also known as ” man’s fingers”) which are the hairy structures found on both sides of the crab’s body. Dispose of the gills. Any other parts that are not edible.
Make sure to remove any insides you don’t plan to eat from the crab well before moving on to the last step of cleaning it up and getting it ready to cook!
Step 5 should be divided into two parts.
After cleaning the crab it’s time to divide the body into two parts. Hold each side of the crab. Gently crack it open by hand. Inside each half lies delicious and delicate meat nestled among the cartilage and smaller sections. Use a seafood pick or a small fork to remove the meat from every part.
Top Tip; If you’re struggling to reach the meat, in the spaces of the crabs body parts try gently cracking open the shell using a crab cracker tool.
5 Tips, for Eating Crab Like an Expert
Now that you’ve mastered the art of cracking open a crab shell lets delve into savoring it like a seafood connoisseur! Here are some pointers to enhance your enjoyment of eating crab;
- Butter Dip Tip; When enjoying boiled crab as a treat melted butter is a timeless partner. Its rich creaminess harmonizes, with the sweetness of crab meat exquisitely. For a touch, a splash of lemon juice will provide a sharp burst of acidity to balance out the richness.
Enhance the taste by adding seasoning like a sprinkle of Old Bay, on the crab meat or a touch of sauce, for some spiciness.
Relax and savor the moment when eating crab; it’s not a competition but a delightful experience of cracking open each piece and relishing every bite.
When serving crab dishes it is recommended that you accompany them with sides such, as corn on the cob or garlic bread along with some potatoes, for a meal experience; a refreshing glass of wine or a chilled beer can also complement the flavors nicely.
Don’t let it intimidate you! Trying to crack and devour a crab for a time might seem daunting at a glance; however with some patience and practice, under your belt, you’ll soon master the art of it.
Begin with soft-shell crabs if you’re not confident, about dealing with hard-shell crabs; they are simpler to eat and don’t need cracking.
Remember the saying “practice makes perfect”? Well, it applies to cracking crabs the more you do it the better you’ll get at it. Soon enough you’ll be enjoying the delicious meat with ease!
Pairing Crab, with Caviar
To elevate the dining experience with a touch of elegance and sophistication WNF Caviar Heritage suggests serving your crab banquet alongside quality black caviar. The salty richness of caviar perfectly enhances the sweetness of crab flesh resulting in a seafood indulgence. Simply garnish a morsel of crab with a dollop of caviar, for a delicacy that guarantees to dazzle your palate.
In summary
Cracking open a crab isn’t, about the taste. It’s all about the experience! There’s a satisfaction in breaking open those claws and relishing the meat inside with your own hands—a true hands-on delight! Follow this guide from WNF Caviar Heritage. You’ll soon be a master at cracking crabs like a pro! So time you’re, at a crab boil or seafood soiree feast your eyes on that platter and dig in with confidence to savor every scrumptious morsel.