Eating crab clusters can be intimidating for some people. Crab clusters, also known as stone crab claws, are a delicious seafood delicacy, but their hard shells and meat inside make them tricky to eat properly. Fortunately, by following a few simple steps, you can easily master eating crab clusters and enjoy their sweet, succulent meat.
What is a crab cluster?
A crab cluster refers to the claws of stone crab. Stone crabs are a species of crab that are fished and harvested for their large, meaty claws. Only one claw is removed from each crab, and the crab is returned to the ocean where it can regrow the lost claw. The removed claw is boiled or steamed and served still in the shell as a crab cluster.
Crab clusters can come from either the crusher claw or pincer claw of a stone crab. Crusher claws are thicker and stronger, used for cracking open hard shelled prey. Pincer claws are slimmer and faster, used for grasping prey. Both types of claws will have sweet tender meat inside once you break through the hard exterior shell.
Tools and Supplies Needed
Eating crab clusters does require some specialized tools to break through the hard shell and pull out the meat:
– Crab cracker or mallet – A wooden crab mallet or metal crab cracker tool is ideal for breaking the shell. The mallet is used to lightly tap or crack the shell, while the cracker has spikes on the ends to puncture through.
– Crab pick or fork – A thin, long pick or fork helps pull and scrape meat out of narrow openings in the shell. Metal or wooden picks work best.
– Small hammer – A small hammer or meat tenderizer hammer can also be used to crack the shell if you don’t have a specialized crab tool.
– Seafood fork – A wide, flat 2-prong seafood fork helps hold the claw steady while cracking and pulling out meat.
– Napkins or wet wipes – Crab is messy, so have napkins or wet wipes ready to clean your hands.
– Shell plate or bowl – Use a plate or bowl you don’t mind getting messy to hold discarded shells.
Preparing the Crab Cluster
Before cracking open and eating a crab cluster, you’ll want to prepare it:
– Rinse under cold water – Give the crab a quick rinse under cold water to clean off any debris on the shell.
– Twist off limbs – Use your hands to twist off the smaller limbs or joints. Remove these before cracking the main claw.
– Crack shell in multiple places – Use the crab mallet or cracker to lightly crack the top and bottom shell in a few strategic spots. This allows easier access to the meat.
– Break knuckle joint – Bend the claw to crack the knuckle joint that connects the 2 halves of the shell. Breaking this joint separates the shells.
Cracking the Crab Shell
Once prepped, it’s time to crack the crab shell open. Follow these steps:
– Place claw on steady surface – Set the crab claw on a sturdy cutting board, plate, or table. The surface should hold it steady as you crack.
– Position cracker or mallet on shell edge – Place the crab cracking tool near the edge of one of the cracked openings. The mallet should be perpendicular or at a 45 degree angle to the shell edge.
– Strike the shell to crack – Use moderate force to tap the mallet or press the cracker down to break the shell. Striking near multiple cracked edges helps split the shell apart in different directions.
– Twist cracker or mallet to pry open – After cracking the shell, twist or rock the mallet to further pry the broken pieces open and expose the meat inside.
– Separate halves of shell – Once cracked open, use your hands to fully separate the two sides of the claw shell. Remove any remaining cartilage at the joint.
– Pick out visible meat pieces – Use a crab fork or pick to remove any large, exposed meat you can easily access at this point.
Extracting the Meat
After cracking the shell, use the following techniques to get all the sweet crab meat out:
– Pick around openings and edges – Dig the fork or pick into any cracked edges, crevices, or openings to scrape out meat.
– Break apart shell further if needed – Use the mallet or cracker again on thicker parts of the remaining shell to better access meat.
– Suck or scoop out meat and juices – For meat in hard to reach places, suck through the openings to draw out meat and juices or use a small spoon to scoop.
– Cut through cartilage to expose pockets – Use kitchen shears or strong crab pick to cut remaining soft cartilage and open up hidden pockets of meat.
– Crack moveable segments further – Bend movable shell segments back and forth to crack them more and remove meat between crevices.
– Discard empty shell – Once you’ve extracted all the meat, discard the empty crab shell pieces onto a trash or shell plate.
Dipping Sauces and Seasonings
Eating the crab cluster plain is always an option, but dipping it in sauces or spices can add even more flavor:
– Melted butter – For simple dipping, melted butter is the perfect complement to enhance the sweet crab flavor.
– Lemon – Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the crab meat or directly into the cracked shell before eating. The tart acidity brightens the briny taste.
– Cocktail sauce – Tartar sauce blended with ketchup or chili sauce makes a popular crab dipping sauce.
– Mignonette – This vinegar-based sauce with minced shallots, pepper, and herbs enhances sweetness.
– Old Bay Seasoning – Shake this classic crab spice blend over the meat for a dash of heat, herbs, and zest.
– Green onion and black pepper – Garnish crab meat with minced green onions and fresh cracked black pepper.
Master Techniques
With practice, you can master specialty techniques for eating crab clusters:
– Pry out meat in whole pieces – Carefully work picks and forks to preserve big chunks of meat instead of shredding.
– Cut out whole muscles – Identify solid muscle sections and carefully slice to remove intact.
– Scoop out meat and preserve shell – Use a spoon to scoop meat, cleaning out the shell without having to crack it much.
– Switch between tools as needed – Change between different mallets, crackers, picks, and forks depending on the part of shell you’re working on.
– Minimal mess – Learn neat extraction methods to avoid scattering meat and making a mess.
– Getting all the meat – Pick every last bit of meat and juice out of the shell thoroughly.
Common Mistakes
It’s easy for beginners to make mistakes when eating crab for the first time. Avoid these pitfalls:
– Not cracking shell enough – Failing to crack the shell thoroughly makes it hard to remove meat. Don’t be afraid to be aggressive cracking it.
– Picking too roughly – Being too forceful with picks can shred meat rather than removing it in pieces. Use lighter touch.
– Not cutting cartilage – Forgetting to cut soft cartilage means missing out on pockets of meat.
– Cracking thin parts of shell – Focus cracks on thicker parts of the shell. Cracking it too much can fragment shell into the meat.
– Messy extraction – Being careless with tools and letting meat fly everywhere. Use picks and forks delicately.
– Failing to soak up juices – Not sopping up all the flavorful juices from the cracked shell is a missed opportunity.
Serving Suggestions
Beyond cracking and eating crab clusters on their own, there are many great ways to incorporate them into seafood-based recipes:
– Crab cakes – Mix crab meat with bread crumbs, egg, and seasonings to make pan fried crab cakes, a classic preparation.
– Crab salad – Chunks of crab meat combined with mayonnaise or yogurt, vegetables, and seasonings create a tasty salad.
– Crab dip – Blend together crab meat with cream cheese, sour cream, and spices. Serve chilled or hot.
– Crab pasta – Toss crab meat with linguine or spaghetti, olive oil or butter, garlic, white wine or lemon, and herbs.
– Crab stuffed fish – Use crab meat as an ingredient to stuff whole fish like snapper or grouper before baking.
– Crab omelette – Saute crab meat and combine with beaten eggs to make a fluffy, meaty omelette.
– Crab soup – Simmer crab meat in broth with veggies like celery, onion, potato, tomato, and corn to create a hearty crab soup.
– Crab boil/bake – Boil or broil crab legs and clusters alongside sausage, corn, and potatoes for a backyard seafood feast.
Nutrition and Benefits
Crab meat is nutritious as well as delicious. Some health benefits of eating stone crab claws include:
– High protein – Crab is an excellent source of lean protein needed for building muscle, hair, skin, and nails. A 3 oz serving contains about 17 grams protein.
– Low calorie – With around 80 calories in 3 oz cooked crab meat, it’s low in calories for the amount of nutrients it provides.
– Low fat – Crab is very low in fat, with only 1-2 grams fat per serving. It’s heart healthy and ideal for weight management.
– Good vitamin and mineral content – Crab contains vitamins and minerals like selenium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, magnesium, and B vitamins.
– Anti-inflammatory – Compounds in crab may help reduce inflammation throughout the body and improve heart health.
– Beneficial omega-3s – Crab meat has omega-3 fatty acids like DHA and EPA which are good for brain function and heart health.
Conclusion
Crab clusters or stone crab claws provide a sweet, succulent seafood dining experience once you learn how to properly crack and extract the meat. With the right tools and techniques, you can swiftly dismantle the hard outer shell to enjoy the tender meat inside. Dipping in butter or tangy sauces adds even more flavor. Beyond just eating crab claws on their own, the meat also shines when incorporated into a variety of seafood dishes and recipes. And crab meat delivers ample protein, minerals, and other nutrients in a low calorie package. Approach crab clusters armed with these preparation and serving tips to make the most of eating this delectable treat from the sea.
