A plucky crab put up a fight - shaking a steak knife as a chef tried to cook it for dinner.

The crustacean was being cleaned in the kitchen sink in preparation for the boiling pot when it found the sharp piece of cutlery in Metro Manila, the Philippines on April 2.

In a last-ditch act of self-preservation, the creature held up the kind and looked like it was threatening the house owner Kei Dy to keep him from getting near.

Footage shows the crab raising both pincers - one brandishing the knife - while Kei tried to remove it.

Kei's girlfriend Pamela Pantinople said: ‘The crab was so funny. I'm not sure if it knew what it was doing.'

Using tongs, Kei pulled the steak knife from the crab. Pamela added the crab along with two others were eventually cooked.

She said: ‘One of its claws was accidentally removed while Kei was pulling the knife. We just decided to cook it after that.'