Utensil for opening the shells of crustaceans

摘要

A utensil is provided for facilitating the opening and removal of meat from crab legs or other types of shellfish. The utensil has an elongated handle portion and a bifurcated head section joined to the handle portion and provided with separate elongated first and second tine segments disposed in spaced, directly opposed, generally parallel relationship with the space therebetween being no greater than about twice the normal thickness of the shell of the shellfish. The first tine segment has a relatively wide planar surface facing a relatively narrow, toothed surface of the second tine segment. The second tine segment is of greater length than the first tine segment. The outermost end of the first tine segment is provided with a beveled shell-guiding face which serves as a fulcrum surface and extends in a direction toward the teeth of the second tine segment for facilitating direction of the shell into contact with the teeth during successive up and down manipulations of the utensil to effect opening of the shellfish shell. The toothed second tine is first slipped under the shell of the shellfish and the utensil oscillated up and down as it is forced forwardly whereby the toothed surface supported by the fulcrum point of the outer end of the first fine segment functions to sever the shell and expose the meat for ready removal.