It takes a bit of work to get at that tasty crab meat.

As Chicago is to deep-dish pizza and New York is to hot dogs, so Baltimore is to crabs. Anyone who has ever spent time in this fair city on the Chesapeake Bay is aware of the citizens' obsession with the crusty crustaceans, and has likely witnessed the unique spectacle of Baltimoreans gathered around a table making quick work of a basket of them. The proper eating of a crab requires both knowledge and technique, but with a little advice from an expert, even a first-timer can look like a pro.

Herman Hannan was born and raised in Baltimore. Once determined to leave his home city forever, Hannan stuck around to complete college, worked as a financial planner for over three decades, and is now very happy to be the owner of Bo Brooks, a popular seafood eatery not far from the site of his birth. Married for 42 years, Hannan and his wife have four children, three of whom are active in the day-to-day operations of the restaurant. Here Hannan offers tips for eating the Baltimore specialty of steamed crabs:

• Triple play. For beginners, Hannan suggests starting out with about three crabs per person. The restaurant will provide a small wooden hammer and a knife, the standard crab-eating utensils.

• Hands and knife. You do most of the work with your hands. First remove the top shell with your hands and ask an expert to tell you which parts of the body are bad to eat. Use your knife to scrape out these inedible parts and separate them from the good meat.

• Hammer. Next take the claw, which is similar to a lobster claw but smaller, and crack the shell with the hammer to get at the meat inside.

• Shell vs. meat. Don't be discouraged if it looks like you're not getting a lot of meat off the crab. According to Hannan, the weight of the edible meat is equal to about 15 percent of the weight of the shell, so there's going to be a lot of stuff you can't eat.

• A messy meal. Eating steamed crabs is not like nibbling finger sandwiches; it's messy work. Many people prepare by laying down newspaper to catch the shell bits, juice and the rest of the mess. Lots of napkins and wet naps are also a good idea.

• Fun eating. But for crab lovers, the mess involved and work required to get at the meat makes it seem even tastier. Plus, the whole ritual of knives and hammers makes the feast more fun, even for little kids, who love to bang the hammers whether they're eating the crabs or not. So if you're going to be in Baltimore, or if you just want to enjoy a special meal in your hometown, try some steamed crabs!

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