How to clean Dungeness Crab

Quickest way to clean Dungeness Crab!

[@ritagray7403]

Got 4 Dungeness crab live from a local fish market. Cleaned them exactly as you illustrated. It was SOOO quick, easy and efficient. Boiled exactly 8 minutes after second boil. Threw them into a quick ice bath and PERFECTION!! This is the only method we will use from now on. Thanks a million Joel!!!

[@joelmarchello3709]

Rita Gray YESSSSS!!!!! That makes me happy! This is EXACTLY what I made these video’s for!

[@hodawg7762]

How long was first boil?

[@vincentkingsdale8334]

I just steam mine for about 10 minutes. Any taste difference in steaming vs boiling?

[@gshockwht]

Really appreciate the video your way does seem a lot easier and less stressful. Thanks man really appreciate it

[@joelmarchello3709]

Glad you like it Dalton! I’m sorry for the horribly slow reply. Hope all is well for ya!

[@kathyzuehlsdorff613]

We do it just like you do! When friends ask me how to clean our crab, I refer them to this video! Thanks!!

[@joelmarchello3709]

kathy zuehlsdorff That is awesome! It is a very effective method! You should try the dry rub recipe from my other crab video. It is tasty! Thanks for the support, and recommending the video!!!

[@sonomaviews9665]

Super helpful! I love your method on the bucket. Thanks.

[@tubularfrog]

Joel, this is the best video I've seen on cleaning Dungeness crabs.

[@joelmarchello3709]

Thanks! It’s the best way I had found, and wish it came sooner. I was really hoping it would help y’all.

[@rauladame2105]

Amazingly simple! Thank you!

[@CherylAnson]

Fantastic! I’ve lived in BC around crab pots my whole life and never seen a quicker way

[@Chrisggg406]

Bro! Me and the wife we’re up in Ketchikan, Alaska, eating these things straight out of the water. We never saw anybody clean these as efficient as you’re cleaning them in the video! Nice!!!

[@laurenjacobsen7273]

I did basically this to I don’t know how many crab in Dutch Harbor years ago. This is basically exactly what we did processing crab for the PanAlaska cannery. We had a permanent mounted blade so we could do this standing…couldn’t do twenty hours of it on a bucket edge, but this is a great solution for a limited number of crab!

[@vincentnix582]

I have never been crabbing. We are going to Florence. I have two crab pots that I will likely never use again as there are no crabs in Kansas, crawdads yes, crabs no, just to save time plus bait boxes made in Oregon to help things along there. I want to do this cleaning job at the dock and throw the "clusters" into an ice chest so I am hopeful there is no problem doing that and the remaining crabs may benefit from the guts and gills. Since seeing you handle the crabs I will not need my meat cleaver for this part. I will be using a cheap pair of rubberized palm gloves. If I lived out there I would invest in the same gloves you have. Well done! Thank you for sharing the direct method. This is one flatlander and wife who truly enjoy crab meat. At $60 a head for all the frozen crab we can put down at a local eatery one time out is still a bargain plus the fun of the work to get the crabs ready is a bonus! Happy crabbing for life to you and yours!

[@daveyJ213]

Hey! Thanks! This worked great. I had my wife hold a meat clever, blade up on the front lawn. A quick pound dispatched the crabs and the legs came right off. Awesome!

[@joelmarchello3709]

David Massey Rock on! Glad to hear it! Enjoy your crab!

[@delroyboese858]

Thank you for sharing. I have never even seen a Dungeness crab before. I've only been to the coast once. Hoping to catch some next week and try your method!

[@greengolandscape3817]

It would be epic to see both clusters ripped off at once. Nicely done. I have 3 in the bucket. Will use this method for sure.

[@charlesgreatwood9987]

Looks like a great crab cleaning method! Thanks!

[@Foxyfreedom]

Great tutorial! I'm looking into getting into this come fall. Thank you!

[@CruisingMeraki]

Nicely done! Thank you for this awesome video.

[@TG-ng2ko]

Great video very clear message thank you brother im going to do it this way quick and easy

[@acousticmikeb8119]

Thanks for sharing. That’s a great technique. I think it’s also better for the crab as it’s a quick kill. I’ve heard them screaming in the boil and prefer this quick method; will use it next time.

[@the_silver_liningg]

Great Video! Thank you

[@ChildofGOD955]

Awesome video!!

[@joelmarchello3709]

STILETTO GAL Thank you!

[@Bicloptic]

Very efficient. I’ll try it.

[@chito69691]

Thx for sharing

[@user-fs6ou3fk9p]

We also clean them first. It tastes much sweeter and fresher tasting.

[@angelab4652]

The indides were my Daddys favourite...ewww yucky, he liked his mustard!

[@SapperMan724]

Awesome thank you!

[@amaragoel9172]

Thank you for this very helpful video. Would this also work with blue crab? Is their anatomy the same?

[@joelmarchello3709]

Amara Chhin I’m glad the video was helpful! I’m not sure about Blue crab, I have never tried. Please let me know if you try some.

[@AlaskanInsights]

I kinda do it that way, I rip the shell off and break them in half. I use the heavy duty gardening gloves . they got a nasty bite for sure, seen them cut right into peoples fingers.

[@billybo7343]

How long can they set on ice after cleaning them this way before having to cook them?

[@Kankudai]

Two days max

[@cybersecretary]

great method. My market steams them, but i will ask to save me some live ones.

[@grimnar6725]

Thanks for this. I've never been inclined to try the "mustard" either. Lol🤢 To each their own I suppose.

[@joelmarchello3709]

I tried them! Haha. It ain’t for me!

[@ritagray7403]

Hi Joel. Once they are cleaned, how long should they be boiled in salt water? We do not want to over cook them. Thank you for this video!

[@joelmarchello3709]

Rita Gray Hi Rita, I am most likely guilty of overcooking, as I bring water to a hard boil, add the crab, when the water returns to a boil I leave the 8 more minutes, then into a ice water bath. I am a “worry wart” about undercooked food. There are people that say 4 minutes, I used to go 10 minutes and honestly never thought there was anything wrong with it. 8 minutes is where I settled on cleaned legs. (Obviously linger on whole body crab).

[@ritagray7403]

@@joelmarchello3709 Perfect!! Thank you so much!!!

[@joelmarchello3709]

Rita Gray You’re welcome! Also, I’m not sure if ya saw my full length crabbing video (where this cleaning video came from). It has the recipe for a dry rub you might like.

[@ritagray7403]

@@joelmarchello3709 Yes, I watched it after our conversation. Thanks again!

[@hodawg7762]

@@joelmarchello3709 Do you boil them in salt water like the other commentor said?

[@rickpetersen41]

The difference in flavor boiling a crab whole or just boiling the meat is the difference between night and day. That just my opinion! I’ve lived around crab pots my entire life and have been cooking and eating them for 65 years. Apparently you don’t know about crab fat or where to find it.

[@mirpandaranda]

Nice! Looks easy! Is there not any meat inside the body that’s worth keeping?

[@joelmarchello3709]

There is a cluster of “body meat” on each side that comes off with the legs when using this technique. And that meat is great! You would lose that if you were just breaking the legs off. There are people that argue about using the “mustard” that is inside the body. I personally don’t use it, I’m surprised anyone does. But there is not actual meat in there.

[@mrflame2497]

Do you immediately kills it when you hit it? I saw something similar in another video and it kinda seems humane

[@sacvibe]

I never tried, and probably never will, try "the mustard." I do like to boil my crab in ocean water.

[@agoogleuser3787]

Where in the PNW are you?

[@joelmarchello3709]

Mouth of the Columbia!

[@Billbobaker]

many say the body meat loses flavor if you don't boil whole.. I do like to add some of the yellow juice to melted butter and garlic with pepper and salt.. it does have an amazing addition of flavor for me.. Maybe I will try this method and only boil one whole for the yellow juice to make my crab dipping sauce.

[@chandanraj6043]

cleaning or killing?

[@derrickmacdonald3541]

Looks almost too easy.

[@jackienelson5804]

Use a plastic bag in the bucket Lemay

[@ChienNguyen-vh5iv]

sorry man, you should learn more about cleaning and cooking crabs.