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Run a knife around where the tail goes into the body, and remove the tail. Cut the tail in half lengthways. Run your knife between the shell and the meat, and scoop the meat out of the tail. Give it a quick rinse, then cut the meat up into bite size pieces.
Coat the pieces in crumbs or batter, then give them a quick swim in some hot oil til they brown up.
PAinted crays do tend to be a bit tough. Like any seafood err on the side of undercooked to prevent toughness. A thermadore or mornay is good for tropical crays and dan's suggestion sounds great too- cook hot and quick..
Not sure if it works for crays but if you want to experiment try soaking the meat in milk for an hour or so before cooking. It works wonders on squid but it may be a gamble on crays.