how to pick a crab

My absolute, hands-down, all-time favorite thing to do in the summer at the beach is to order up a bushel of crabs, throw 'em down on a newspaper-covered picnic table, sit down with a cold drink, and pick those things clean.  Some people think it's completely disgusting, but I love it.  It's been a beach tradition for our family for many years and at this point, my summer's not complete until I've picked and eaten some crabs.  If you've never tried it before or have only ever eaten your crab in cake form, I (obviously) highly recommend it!  

I don't remember exactly who taught me how to do this, and chances are it was probably a group effort on the part of my crab-lovin' uncles, but I have to say, I think I'm pretty darn good at picking crabs.  So I thought it 'd be fun to do a little "how-to" today and show you my method.  I'm sure it's not the only method, but for me, it's the best.  Check it out...

Gather the goods.

Stare down your dinner.

Begin:  tear off the claws, set aside for later.

Tear off the legs, making sure to check for meat on the ends.

Lift the flap that runs down the back of the crab and tear it off - this creates a hole in the top.

Using the space you just created, use your thumbs to tear the shell off the crab.

Use a knife to scrape out the gills, intestines, green stuff, etc.

Once it's cleaned up, cut or break the crab in half.

Open up each half and proceed to pick out every morsel of that glorious meat.

Best food ever.

Eat every tiny piece of meat that you can find, savoring every bite.

Once you're done with the back fin, go back for the claws.  Crack them open and eat.

Sometimes you can pull the "fingers" apart to reveal the meat in one fell swoop...

Perfection.

Once you've cleaned and eaten your entire crab, repeat until you've probably eaten too many, and then eat one more  :) 

Happy crab-picking, friends!