Boil a live crab in a large pot of salted water for 20-30 minutes.
Drain the crab by standing it on its nose and let it cool.
Remove the legs and claws by twisting them off the body.
Separate the body from the shell by pushing upwards from the back edge.
Remove and discard the spongy gills and stomach sac.
Spoon the brown meat into a bowl and mash it with a fork.
Break the outer edges of the shell to form a serving dish.
Crack the claws and legs with a heavy knife to extract white meat.
Quarter the body and pick out the remaining white meat.
Check the white meat for shell fragments and return all meat to the shell.