Crabs, crustaceans found in salt or fresh water, yield succulent white meat Shelled meat in coarse chunks is sold as "lump" crabmeat. Finer particles are known as flaked crabmeat. Crabmeat is also available frozen. For the best flavor, seek out fresh crabmeat or purchase already steamed or boiled whole crabs from a fish market. Request that the crabs be cracked, which facilitates extracting the meat from the shells.
To clean and crack crab:
Twist off the legs and claws. Remove the triangular shellflap from the underside. Separate the top shell and body. Scrape out the gray intestines and any orange roe. Discard the feathery white gills. Break the body in half to reveal the meat. With a mallet or cracker, crack the claws and larger legs.For specific varieties of crabs, see blue crabs and Dungeness crabs.