Dressing a crab involves removing the meat, separating it into white and brown, and possibly adding spices. The meat can be served in the shell or on a platter with toast. The process is time-consuming, but frozen dressed crabs are available.
A dressed crab is one that has been cleaned and prepared for cooking or serving. Dressing a crab involves removing all of the meat from the crab, separating it into white meat and brown meat, and then possibly adding spices to it. The top half of the crab shell is cleaned and the meat is placed in the shell to serve. Some seasoned crab recipes do not use the shell, choosing instead to arrange the meat on a platter and serve it with wedges of toast.
The process of dressing a crab begins with the removal of its claws and legs. The body is then split into upper and lower halves and the inedible innards removed. The flesh is meticulously removed from the joints, feet and claws. The flesh from inside the body is also removed and divided into light and dark. The top of the crab shell is then cleaned of any remaining inedible parts.
Meat can be prepared in several ways. The easiest way is to fill each side of the prepared shell with a meat color. However, several recipes call for the meat to be spiced or prepared in some way. Most traditional methods of preparation, especially in the UK, do not require seasoning the meat but serving it with lemon, mayonnaise and wholemeal bread wedges.
One seasoning method for seasoned crabmeat is to mix it with cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, and lemon juice before placing it back in the shell. Another way is to mix dark meat with breadcrumbs. Some dressed crab recipes are less traditional. One involves mixing the meat with breadcrumbs and egg and then baking it in the oven like a crab cake. A different variation calls for making crab salad with mayonnaise and onions and then stuffing the shell with the mix.
The actual presentation when using the crab shell can also vary. Simple recipes simply place light and dark meat on opposite sides of the shell. Some more complex ideas are to separate the halves with a line of parsley or diced hard-boiled eggs. The center could be lined with white meat straddling the dark meat, or the other way around.
Preparing a dressed crab can be time consuming. It involves digging the meat out of almost every crevice on the crab. Many fishmongers are able to dress a crab quickly and efficiently. There are also frozen dressed crabs that can be heated up and eaten right out of a box.
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