How do you split king crab legs in half at home?

Opening crabs

Wrap the crab leg in a kitchen towel and hit it in order to crack it. Use a smooth-faced meat hammer (or about any other hammer) to crack it open. Even a rolling pin will work. Then you can easily open them with the tip of a kitchen knife. Wrap your left hand in a kitchen towel and use the knife with the right hand. This is to prevent slippery knife that may hurt you. Always grab the crab on one side and point your knife to the opposite. That way if it slips, it will not cut you.

Answer:

I wear a glove or use a towel to hold the crab leg in one hand and use a pair of kitchen shears to cut the leg from one end to the other. The meat will fall out. If they are the smaller ones that are finger sized in diameter, I use a short tined fork and work one tine under the shell and pry up. This splits the leg a little. Push the fork into the split and continue till you get to the other end. This works like the old fashioned can openers.

First answer by Koikille. Last edit by Hooweestik. Contributor trust: 569 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 39 [recommend question]