Need to know how to cook king crab legs? You’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about cooking king crab legs.
When our Alaskan King Crab arrives at your doorstep, it will already be cooked, glazed and frozen. The king crab will have either been cooked on the fishing boats or immediately upon landfall in order to preserve its fresh, delicious taste. So, you will just need to thaw the legs and reheat the crab before you start enjoying.
Upon receiving your crab legs, first and foremost, place the crab in your refrigerator to thaw overnight (8-12 hours). The next day, it will be ready to reheat and prepare.
Cooking king crab legs isn’t difficult, and they only takes a few minutes to prepare. The way you choose to cook your king crab will depend on the taste that you want to achieve. Below we’ve listed some of the more popular ways to cook king crab.
Most of these recipes are very simple — three drops of hot sauce in butter is often all you need to draw out the wonderful taste of fresh king crab! And, most require a reheat time of just 5-10 minutes. Much more than that, and you risk your crab becoming overcooked. If you’re adding your crab to a stew or soup, you’ll only need to put it in for the last 5 minutes of the cooking process.
How to Cook Frozen Crab Legs
Most frozen crab legs are already pre-cooked so they will just need to be heated. When cooking frozen crab legs, we’ve found the best way is to place them in a colander or steamer over rapidly boiling water. There are a few other methods as well though, which we'll walk you through below.
Did You Know? Fresh king crab has a shelf life of 5-7 days. If properly glazed; however, frozen king crab can last up to 12 months.
Recipe: Steamed King Crab Legs
Steaming is one of the best options for cooking king crab. Simply place two cups of water and a tablespoon of salt in a pot and bring it to a boil. The pot should be about one-third of the way filled with water. Place the crab legs in the pot on a rack or colander over the boiling water. Cover with a lid and cook for six to ten minutes, or until the crab is completely heated. When they begin to omit a “cooked odor,” they should be ready to eat.
Serve with garlic butter, lemon wedges, and enjoy!
See these ideas for king crab dipping sauces.
Recipe: Boiled King Crab Legs
Boiling is a simple method for cooking king crab. To boil crab legs, simply fill a large saucepan half full of cold water and bring to a boil. Add a tablespoon of salt and the seasoning of your choice, if any. When the water begins to boil add the crab legs and reduce the heat to medium. Allow them to simmer for about six minutes. Take the crab legs out of the water, rinse and plate for eating. Learn everything you need to know to plan the perfect crab boil.
Try out this recipe for Alaskan King Crab Provencal.
Recipe: Grilled King Crab Legs
Grilling is a fun way to cook king crab legs if it's warm out and you're planning to eat outside. To grill crab legs you need to brush olive oil on all sides of the crab legs to prevent them from sticking. Then place the crab legs on a hot grill of 300° degrees for about five minutes, turn over and cook for another five minutes until they are heated all the way through. Remove from the grill and serve with butter or sauce.
Recipe: Baked King Crab Legs
Baking king crab legs is the preferred cooking method for those who want to capture the flavor of herbs and lemon in the cooking process. To bake crab legs, preheat oven to 350° degrees. Place the crab legs in a shallow baking pan in single layers. Place hot water in the pan, about 1/8 of an inch deep. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for eight to ten minutes.
If you’ve been missing out on king crab legs because you thought they were too complicated to prepare, get ready to start considering them as part of your regular diet!
Try out the above Alaskan King Crab recipes for yourself. Orders that are $300+ receive FREE OVERNIGHT SHIPPING!
