Patent ID: 7014551

Claim:
A process for shelling a crustacean to permit removal of meat from a tail shell thereof, the process comprising: separating a head/body portion of said crustacean from said tail shell; providing a shelling tool having a handle and an elongate rod extending away from said handle, said elongate rod being of circular cross section and having a longitudinal slit of uniform height and width extending inwardly from a distal end thereof, said longitudinal slit defining an upper rod fork of semi-circular cross section and a lower rod fork of semi-circular cross section, parallel thereto, of said elongate rod; sliding said lower rod fork into an open end of said tail shell along an inside surface of an underside of said tail shell such that said underside of said tail shell is guided into said slit a desired distance; and rotating said tool about a longitudinal axis thereof to thereby produce a crack in said underside of said tail shell and expose the meat contained therein.