I visited a shellfish company in Cornwall a couple of weeks back. It was likethe waiting room at an open casting for Finding Nemo — tanks and tanks of crabs, lobsters and crayfish, all waiting for their big moment.

Down the road was the factory where the crabs scuttled off this mortal coil — an old-fashioned factory, filled with steam from a bubbling vat. The air was intoxicating, a walk-through seafood bisque. Six workers stood at a table, methodically picking the meat from the shells at mind-boggling speed.

Crabs are one of the joys of an English seaside summer. Given their abundance (and sustainability when pot-caught), I always wonder that we don’t eat more of them. True, it’s a labour-intensive way of getting a meal if you’re starting from scratch, but tubs of ready-picked crab meat aren’t hard to come by.

In any case, there’s a finicky pleasure to be had in extracting the meat and devouring it with a greedy wobble of mayonnaise.

Crab meat marries well with the crisp textures of cucumber, celery and fennel, as well as more exotic flavours such as mango and papaya. It has a particular affinity with cream and cheese (especially parmesan), and gets on swimmingly with chilli, tomato and most of the soft herbs. These recipes should give you something to get your claws into.

Crab Tactics

A brown crab should give about 25% of its weight in meat. You can get ready-picked crab meat at good fishmongers and some supermarkets. Tinned white crab meat is a useful standby.

Buying live crabs Live crabs should move their legs when you disturb them. Never buy a dead, uncooked one. Male crabs give more white meat, and tend to have better meat in summer; females are better from autumn onwards. You can tell a male by looking at the flap on the underside of its body.

If it’s thin and pointy, it’s a male. If it’s rounder and broader, it’s a female.

Cooking live crabs Place the crab in the freezer for 2 hours to send it to sleep. Half fill a big pan with water and add plenty of salt — at least 45g per litre. Bring to a rolling boil. Plunge the crab in mouth first, then cover and return to the boil. When it is boiling again, start timing. Cook for 15 minutes for the first 500g, then 2 minutes for every remaining 100g. Remove the crab and rinse under cold water, then leave mouth down for the shell to drain. Allow to cool for 30 minutes.

How to pick out the meat Pull off the claws and legs, keeping them to one side. Turn the crab on its back and lever the shell open by pulling up the tail flap. Push on the central body section with your thumbs until it comes away. Remove and discard the green dead man’s fingers (there are 10 of them) and the small stomach sac, which is just behind the mouth, then use a spoon to scrape out the brown meat.

Snap the claws in half and scrape out the white meat from the thick end. Use a rolling pin to crack open the remaining bit of claw and the pincers. Remove all the white meat and flake into the bowl. Remove and discard the piece of cartilage inside each claw.

Cut the body into quarters and pick out the meat using your fingers and a skewer. Crack open the thicker part of the legs and pick out the meat. Check for bits of shell and cartilage. The meat will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

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