If it is wide and rounded, it is a female crab. If the abdomen flap is long and narrow, it is a male crab. Cut the crab's body in half to make it easier to reach the meat inside. There will be some brown meat but also some white meat in here. Start by washing your cooked crab in cold running water, before removing the legs and claws. How to remove crab legs and claws? It is also known as a common edible crab, Cromer Crab (caught on the coast of Cromer in Norfolk) or Cornish Crab (caught on the coasts of Cornwall)

Male crabs typically have larger claws, meaning more white meat than female crabs. However, females have a chance they are carrying roe (eggs) which taste lovely! Place your fingers on the underside of the shell and use your thumbs to firmly push the body up and away from the crab shell. It will break open fairly easily. Inedible Parts of a Crab

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Although not inedible, the following parts inside the crab are not tasty and are best removed to prevent a bitter-tasting dressed crab. We do not cover cooking a crab in this post. This is for a pre-cooked crab. If your crabs fresh make sure to cook it first. Tools To remove the crab shell from the body, first, remove the abdomen (the flap on the underside of the crab). But in all honestly, you can use everyday items, such as the end of a teaspoon, skewers and knives to remove the crab meat. How to Dress a Crab

But you will find most of the white meat in the claws and legs it is tender with a milder taste than the brown meat. Crab Legs

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If using a fresh crab that you have cooked first, you can dress and then freeze the dressed crab for up to 2 months, thawing it overnight. I do not recommend refreezing a previously frozen crab. It is best to consume the dressed crab as soon as possible. Although, it can be made ahead and stored in the fridge a day ahead. Nowadays, it's commonly found at seafood restaurants or fish markets. But you can also easily make it at home using cooked crab from the supermarket or fishmonger. Where to Buy and Choose a Cooked Crab When making a dressed crab, I like to spoon the brown meat on the outside edges and the white meat in the middle.

Remove the greyish gills (also known as "dead man's fingers" or lungs) and the stomach sac. All seen in the image above, surrounding the body. You could serve it with a salad and pots of our seafood boil dip, tartare sauce or marie rose sauce.If you're a lover of all things fish and shellfish, we've got plenty of recipes to tantalise your taste buds! Dressing a crab is a very simple process that involves removing the crab meat from the shell, body, legs and claws. It only takes a few minutes it is messy and fiddly, but quite fun too. For convenience, some supermarkets and fish markets also sell pre-dressed crabs. But for the best flavour, we recommend buying a whole cooked crab and dressing it yourself. This will vary depending on the size of the crab; it is likely to be around 200 grams on average. Seasoning Crab Meat