There aren’t many things that compare with the cultural richness of crab season at the Oregon Coast. Our Meredith Mitchell Vineyard Pinot Blanc, with its stone fruit aromas, grapefruit and papaya flavor notes, and an underlying mouthfeel that has the roundness of sea brine balanced by steely acidity and stony minerality pairs with this Winter hard shelled marine creature in the best way possible! Not quite the crustacean cracking connoisseur? Follow the steps below or check out this quick tutorial.
1. Lay down some newspaper or heavy-duty paper to protect the table, to absorb the juices, and to make clean up easier.
2. Gather a crab mallet, dull knife, and a claw cracker if desired. Steam the crabs; sometimes crabs are steamed with a layer of seasoning.
3. Pull off all the legs and claws with a twisting motion. You can use a dull knife inserted into the joint to make removal easier. Sometimes a little meat will come out with the leg. Toss the legs (fins) and save the claws. Turn the crab over on its back. Open the apron––the apron looks like a tab. Take the top half and the bottom half in each hand, pull off the top shell. Take care and do this slowly. Toss the top shell. You will have cleaned out the crab and have removed the gills to show the shell.
4. Take this bottom half and break it in half, take one of the halves and with a knife (or your hands) cut it in half. If you are using your hands, press down to break the chambers and then pull apart. Now you should have the meat exposed. Use your fingers to pull the meat out and enjoy! Use your knife to get the meat out of the smaller chambers. Pick away all the chunks of meat in the body. Start with the claws.
5. Crack the claws by using the hinged cracker, hitting them with the crab mallet, or using your knife. The most efficient way to open a claw: Lay your knife, sharp side down, on the middle of the red side of the claw. Then use the crab mallet to gently hit the knife, until the knife is halfway through the claw. Finally, pivot the knife to the side. That will open the claw and make it easier to eat. Then snap the shell open and eat the meat, avoiding the cartilage.
Steps adapted from wikihow.com
Photo Provided by Christy Hitz