How to Clean and eat Hard-Shelled Crabs

It would be best if you always bought live crab. In the words of my grandmother, ” …the crabs should be alive when you buy them, or they ain’t no good”.  That’s the rule I live by.  Today I am going to teach you how to clean a hard shell crab.

Get out a large, heavy pot.  Add water and chicken bouillon soup base, taste the water; it should be salty.  Bring the water to a rapid boil.  Add the crabs to the water, head first, boil for 17-20 minutes.  Remove the crabs from the pot, set them aside to drain and cool.  Hold the crab with both your hands, with your thumbs, pull the upper and lower shells of the crab apart.  Throw away the orange waxy and white sponge substance along with the material that sticks to the upper shell. The edible part is the flaky mass and the small flakes in the claws.