To pick and eat Maryland Blue Crabs you will need the following essential items:

1. Delicious steamed blue crabs

2. A wooden or metal mallet comes in handy when cracking crab claws.

3. A knife is useful for opening the crab and separating the crabmeat from the shell.

4. A tall drink to quench your thirst. Maryland Blue Crabs steamed with Old Bay Seasoning can be spicy!

Step One: Select a Crab

Pick a nice heavy crab with large claws. Turn the crab upside down to determine if it is a male or female. Some people prefer the taste of male crabs (also known as “Jimmies”) to female crabs (or “Sooks”). Jimmies and Sooks are easy to tell apart by the shape of the apron in the center of the crab’s underside. Jimmies have a long and narrow apron that looks like an upside down “T”. Sooks have a semi-circular, bell shaped apron that comes to a point at the top.

Step Two: Remove the Crab’s Claws and Legs

Snap off the two large claws at the body of the crab and set them aside for later. Remove the crab’s smaller legs next. If you pull carefully, some meat may be found at the end of each joint to give you just a teaser of what you will find inside.

Step Three: Open the Crab

With your thumb or knife, pull back the tip of the apron on the underside of the crab. Snap the apron off at the joint where it meets the top shell. This will separate the body of the crab from the shell. With both hands, pull the body and the shell apart. With the body of the crab exposed, remove the face area, scrape off the gills and the yellowish, mustard like substance in the center. The mustard can be eaten, but the gills, also known as Devil Fingers, should not.

Step Four: Picking the Crabmeat

Break the remaining part of the body in half and then break each half again, exposing the chambers containing solid white crabmeat. Use the knife or your fingers to pick the crabmeat away from the cavities of the crab’s body.

Step Five: Don’t Forget the Claws

Pick up one of the claws set aside back in Step Two. Pull the claw apart at the joint. If you separate the joint carefully, you may be able to pull the crabmeat out of the claw shell. If not, crack the claw shell with a mallet or knife and pull the meat out from the cavity.

Step Six: Enjoy, Repeat

Picking crabs may seem like daunting work at first, but when you taste the rewards of your labor you will come to understand the popularity of Maryland Blue Crabs.