I've seen it done prior to cooking the crab, but it seems to be easier to clean the crab after it's cooked.
First, remove the top shell by inserting your fingers between the top and bottom shell at the back of the crap and lightly pull up. Then, pull off the gills and wash the guts out of the cavity. Next pull off the the apron and then snap the bottom shell between the leg sets, giving you 2 leg sets.
The best demo video I have seen on this is at:
Answers
March 17, 2010
Place the crab in a boiling water with the salt.See that the crab should be completely immersed in tne water .Then cook for 15 minutes.
April 17, 2010
I've seen it done prior to cooking the crab, but it seems to be easier to clean the crab after it's cooked.
First, remove the top shell by inserting your fingers between the top and bottom shell at the back of the crap and lightly pull up. Then, pull off the gills and wash the guts out of the cavity. Next pull off the the apron and then snap the bottom shell between the leg sets, giving you 2 leg sets.
The best demo video I have seen on this is at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMbkMJPwWA8