crab shell

Hard exoskeleton covering

The hard outer covering of a crab, left behind when the animal molts or after the meat has been removed.

Crab shells are used in cooking to flavor stocks and bisques, and commercially processed into chitin and chitosan for industrial and medical applications.

She cracked open the crab shell to get at the meat inside.

Related

crustacean · molt · hard · brittle · pinch · seafood · beach · tide · low tide · legs · armor · sand · hollow · crack · boil · red · ocean · hermit

Categories
Opposites
edible vs. inedible parts

crab shellcrab meat

Edible tissue from decapods

crabmeat · lump crab · claw meat · soft-shell crab · roe

exterior vs. interior anatomy

crab shellcrab meat

Edible tissue from decapods

soft tissue · body cavity

hard vs. soft exoskeleton states

crab shellsoft shell

Flexible protective covering

Family

crab, shell, crabs, crabby, crabbed, crabbing, shells, shelled, shelling

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G