Cleaning crab legs can be as intimidating as having to crack them open in a social setting. But with the benefit of a few tips, you'll soon be cleaning crab legs like a pro.

Once boiled, take off the crab's main shell by hand. Once this is done, you'll want to rinse the main body meat under cool water to wash away any unwanted debris or viscera.

The crab legs will have to have their meat cleaned with cool water. If the legs are still attached to the body, simply twist them off.

Now that they're free of the body, individual joints can be cracked to expose the meat for cleaning, or you can cut along the leg shell using shears.

Use a lobster fork to extract the remaining bits for rinsing, and the crab leg meat will be ready to serve. Your dinner companions will appreciate the shells removed.