How to clean craps

[falcon01]

Hi everyone what is this best way to clean crabs

[adamleah]

Going by the title...
I was thinking yep sounds close to home ///

..I have a toddler asking me the same thing !!!!

ADAM

[masterdusky]

LOL...craps..???best left as is mate..

[land-lubber]

hey,
for beginners (me) ive found the best way is to stick em in the fridge/ice slurry if on boat till they go to sleep (no nastys to deal with then . then take it out into the laundry sink or simialr and cut the crab in half (between the eyes and down to the flap) you should then have two identicle halves. then just get in there and clean out all the crap and gills etc. once you cut it in half, just follow ur instincts, its pretty self explainitary. anyway, that was how i did it. hope that helps
cheers

[westie]

Seen this on a vidio .... lay crab on back and at the top point of the flap place a OLD screwdriver ( ground to a point ) and push through shell, kills them instantly, then with a solid knife while still on the back cut through centre of flap all the way to the mouth DO NOT cut through the back. Turn crab over and pull the back shell away, you should end up with two halves with claws attached and the back still intacked with all the guts. On the flesh side you must remove the what I call the Dead Mans Fingers then wash the crab and cook.

Hope this is of help to you all

[DaveSue_Fishos_Two]

I cut mine in half with the shovel. Bring seawater to the boil, drop them in, bring back to the boil and cook for 13 mins. Remove, clean out the bit of guts and gills when you remove the back (carapace). Serve hot with freezing cold xxxx. Bloody beautiful.

Cheers
Dave

[szopen]

The best way I have seen on "Yan can cook".

Get yourself one of these wide asian knifes.

Lay the crab on the board.
Whack it with the flat side to stun.

Insert the corner of the knife (2-3cm) under the top part of shell from the back of the crab.

Holding the crab twist the knife and the top part of shell breaks off.

Than under the running water clean the mud off, take the gills out and cut the crab as you wish.

With a bit of practice it works very fast, kills them pretty instantly as well.

If you having trouble with claws and other moving parts put the crab in the ice or inside the freezer as land lubber said

[DaveSue_Fishos_Two]

If you cut them in half with the shovel when they are alive you have no problem with claws trying to grab you. And, contrary to what some believe, the meat does not spew out while cooking. If you have 10 - 20 muddies to do you can fit a lot more in a stainless keg/cooker if they are halved.

Cheers and happy eating!
Dave

[Fishinmishin]

Am i wrong as I cook them whole, cool in a ice slurry then peel them off from the knob of his 1st which then allows you to grab the back of the shell and rip off. Then I break it in half and tear out the bits and give the scum a quick rinse off. I kill them by 1stly ripping out their eyeballs then headflicking them to death .
Cheers, Jay

[ShaneJ]

Yep, I cook them whole aswell and then clean them as soon as they come out the boiler.

[Billo]

i throw them in an ice slurry upon catching ....they are dead by the tim ethey get home , but i usually cook immediately on a arrival ( after a boat wash down )

Peel by pulling the underside flap up and uding that to pull the carapice off ( top shell )
I them put under the tap and wash the crap out with water pressue and my thumb .
A hose does this weel as it gives a bit off pressure to blast it out
I then chop them in half with a knife

From here you can do what you will .,...just boil , or go fancy
I just like to clean them up before cooking ....the turd really turns me off

Here is a good recipe for the sandies ! Bloody Brilliant !!!!!

CHILLI CRAB
This recipe is suitable for either sand or mud crabs. Allow yourself plenty of preparation time. The actual cooking time is short, but we’ll be using fresh crabs and need to put them in the freezer for about 40 minutes to anaesthetise them.
Ingredients
2 Mud Crabs or 6 sand crabs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, finely chopped
1-2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 red chillies, finely chopped
1/2 cup Thai sweet chilli sauce
1x 425g tin Ardmona finely chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon mirin (optional)
Preparation
• Take the crabs from the freezer and clean them. Remove the claws and, using a heavy knife, cut the bodies into quarters. Crack the claws with the back of the knife or cleaver.
• Heat a wok until very hot. Add the olive oil, making sure that the oil coats the sides of the wok. Stir fry the crab (a few pieces at a time) until the shell of the crab is bright red. Remove the crab from the wok and place to one side.
• Add the onion to the wok and stir fry for a minute before adding the garlic, ginger and chilli. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes. Add the chilli sauce, chopped tomatoes, sugar, water and mirin. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and add the crab pieces. Toss the crab in the chilli sauce mixture to coat and continue to cook for either five minutes (sandies) or 10 minutes (muddies). Continue to toss the crab in the chilli sauce from time to time as it cooks.
Serve with heaps of bread to soak up the sauce.

[roz]

My version.

Using westies blund screw driver method, then lever off the carapace, clean crab then divide into sections to suit.

Have to add that the shell and guts make the absolute best berley.

Roz

[bidkev]

Seen this on a vidio .... lay crab on back and at the top point of the flap place a OLD screwdriver ( ground to a point ) and push through shell, kills them instantly, <snip>

Hope this is of help to you all

They must be different crabs down the Pin Westie I wouldn't go near one that had only been spiked through the flap....they're still bloody dangerous. I have a sharpened tent peg and yes, it goes under the point of the flap and along the body and out the mouth, but the buggers seem to still be moving. Then I put it in the mouth, along the body, and out the *base* of the flap just to make sure............movement cease!

kev

[bidkev]

Am i wrong as I cook them whole, <snip>

Cheers, Jay

Cook mine whole also (live), as they do in all of Europe. Apparently the crab just goes to sleep as the water temp rises. The "screams" that can sometimes be heard is gas escaping from the leg joints. Cleans easier and the shell lifts off easier. When I'm camping and the pot is a lot smaller I half 'em. A mate of mine showed me how to lift the shell with the thumb and break carcass in half simply with brute hand force. Toughened up me hands but made me feel like a real hunter/gatherer Then remove the dead man's fingers and give a vigorous shake in salt water and the gunge should simply wash off.

Does anyone eat the "yellow meat" tucked into the sides of the shell? If you clean 'em raw, you lose this, but cooked before cleaning it solidifies to some extent. I've never seen anyone eat it in Oz but in Europe it is mashed in with the white meat.

kev............itching to sink a pot

[scatter1]

geez szopen that takes me back! i used to love yan can cook when i lived in singapore

sam