Crab legs are a familiar sight at restaurants and raw bars, piled high over a bed of ice on cold seafood platters or arranged on buffet tables at weddings and other big parties. They're the kind of indulgence you might load up on when you see them out, but have you ever wondered how to cook crab legs at home? While it may seem like something you'd need special equipment or culinary chops to pull off, crab legs are actually incredibly easy to prepare. In fact, the best way to cook them is to simply steam them. All you need is a big pot and a steamer basket—or, in a pinch, a colander.
14 Crab Recipes You'll Want to Add to Your Warm-Weather Repertoire
Choose the Type of Crab
There are loads of delicious crab varieties to choose from, depending on where you live and what's available in season (yes, crabs have seasons when they are most plentiful and best for eating). But the varieties most sought after for their legs are king crab and snow crab. (Dungeness, blue, and stone crabs are all tasty, with their own distinctive flavor profiles, but they are most often sold whole rather than in parts like legs.)
King crabs: As you might guess from the name, king crabs are much larger than snow crabs, with big, thick, meaty legs. You'll often hear them referred to as Alaskan king crabs, since the crustaceans are plentiful all along the state's coastline. (Wild Alaskan crab is considered the tastiest but is also the most expensive.)
Snow crabs: Found in the frigid waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, snow crabs are smaller than king crabs, with longer, skinnier, less meaty legs.
Both varieties are available frozen year-round from big box stores, specialty markets, and online sources, including many suppliers who sell directly to consumers.
There's no competition—hands down, steaming is the superior way to cook this epicurean delight.
Why Steaming Rules
Crab legs are generally sold pre-cooked and flash-frozen. Steaming is the preferred cooking method to reheat them to serve at home because the gentle, moist heat helps preserve the pure, sweet taste and tender texture of the meat. They're also less likely to overcook and turn rubbery or lose their flavorful juices, as they often do when they are boiled. Boiling can also cause them to take on more water in the cavities between the shell and the meat, which makes them harder to eat.
Thawing Gives You a Leg Up
Thawing the legs before cooking is optional, but if you have the time, it's worth it. The legs will steam faster and more evenly if thawed. Ideally, thaw them in a bowl overnight in the refrigerator, but if you're tight on time, know that you can place them in a colander under cool running water until no ice remains.
How to Steam Crab Legs
By now, we've likely made our point: One of the easiest (and best) ways to cook crab legs at home is to steam them. Here's how:
First, choose a pot large enough to hold the crab legs and a steamer basket. It should have a tight-fitting lid.
Fill the pot with an inch or two of water, then arrange the basket on top.
Season or salt the water (see note below).
Bring the water to a boil, then place the crab legs in the steamer basket.
Cover the pot, and let the legs steam until heated through. This should take four or five minutes for thawed crab legs, and a few minutes more if the legs were frozen when you placed them in the steamer.
Cool the legs slightly before serving—we recommend serving with lemon wedges and melted butter or alongside our Meyer Lemon-Miso Butter.
How to Know When the Crab Legs Are Done
Breathe deep: You'll know the crab legs are cooked through when you can smell them! The meat should also be hot all the way throughout, and the flesh should appear reddish-pink and juicy.
Seasoning
At the very least, you'll want to add salt to the pot—some chefs enhance the water with bay leaves, lemon wedges, Old Bay seasoning, or a splash of white wine, but that's up to you. Doing so can amp up the flavor of the crab, but the meat is so delicious on its own that it really doesn't need embellishment.
If you don't have a steamer basket, you can try improvising with a colander, as long as your pot is big enough to hold it and the lid still fits securely; if it's not a perfect fit, use aluminum foil underneath the lid to create a tight seal—just be careful when removing the foil and releasing the steam.
Bring the water to a boil, then place the crab legs in the steamer basket. Cover the pot, and let the legs steam until heated through. This should take four or five minutes for thawed crab legs, and a few minutes more if the legs were frozen when you placed them in the steamer.
One of the most popular ways to cook a crab, especially in Maryland and along the eastern shore, steaming provides an even and gentle cook for the delicate meat. The extreme heat caused by the method brings exquisite flavor into it without as much of a threat of overcooking.
The simplest approach to cooking crab legs is to boil them. Simply bring a pot of water to a boil and add about four to six legs (depending on size). Make sure to tuck in the legs and bend them, if necessary, so that they're all underwater. Cook for about four to five minutes and enjoy.
Put a layer of crabs on the rack in the pot. Sprinkle with a generous amount of seasoning, then repeat with another layer, and another, until all 12 crabs are in pot (and well seasoned). Cover and steam over medium-high heat until the crabs are bright red, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the crabs with tongs.
Boiling crabs is one of the most well-known and popular techniques for preparing crabs. You'll just need a large pot, a pair of tongs, and your favorite seasonings.
Don't be shy about adding salt, pepper, lemon juice and lemon rinds, or the classic Old Bay seasoning to your pot before boiling or steaming your crab legs. In fact, if you plan to boil, we'd recommend the proportion of 4 quarts of water to 6 ounces of seasoning.
It might cause the crab legs to lose some of their tasty juices and can even make them a bit rubbery. Plus, boiling can make the crab legs soak up water, making them less flavorful. Remember, “how long to steam crab legs” can vary slightly based on their size and whether they're thawed or frozen.
While frozen crab legs, such as Alaskan King crab legs, don't need cleaning, they should be thawed and rinsed through cold water before use. Only after you have thawed, rinsed, and cooked the crab legs can you clean the shelf to add that juicy meat to your dish.
Crab is packed with protein, which is important for building and maintaining muscle.Crab also contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, and selenium. These nutrients play vital roles in improving general health while helping prevent a variety of chronic conditions.
The simplest way to catch crabs is with a dip net. Another easy method is to drop a fishing line with bait at the end. Simply wait for a tug then pull the crab in, catching it in a net. The only downside with the line method is that you can only catch one crab at a time.
TTwo popular ways to cook crab are boiling and steaming. A crab boil usually incorporates other ingredients like corn and sausage with different spices and aromatics flavoring the broth. Steaming crabs, on the other hand, keeps the crabs from getting water logged.
How to reheat crabs with a steamer. Place a steamer basket in a large pot with enough water to reach the bottom of the basket. Once the water is boiling, place the crabs inside, and season. Put the top on the pot and let steam for approximately 6-8 minutes.
Frying. Frying is probably the most popular method of cooking fish. Shallow frying: The fish should be seasoned and lightly coated with flour or crumb before frying to protect it and seal in the flavour. Use a mixture of oil and butter when frying and turn the fish only once during cooking, to avoid breaking up.
1. Place live crabs in freezer for approximately 15 minutes to numb them prior to cooking. Freezing the crabs before you cook them is more humane and makes it easier to place them in the pot because they won't be moving around as much (or trying to kill you).
Place live crab in boiling salted water and cook for 18-20 minutes (after the water returns to a boil), turning the shell bright orange. Immerse in cold water to cool before cleaning. Fresh Whole-Cooks can be served chilled or heated in a steamer, broiler or oven for 4 to 5 minutes.
Steaming crab legs on the stovetop takes just 6 to 8 minutes. Warming in the oven requires more time, but the cook time is only 15 to 20 minutes. No matter how you decide to warm crab legs, do not overcook or the crab meat will be tough and dry.
Pour a couple of inches of water into a steamer pot and bring it to a boil.Put the king crab legs on the steamer insert and put the insert into the pot.Steam the crab legs for 6-10 minutes. You will know when they are done when you can smell the crab and they are hot to the touch.
You can gently scrape away the gills with your thumb or the back of a spoon.Then, run the crab under a strong stream of cold water to rinse off all of the slimy viscera on the meat. You should always complete these steps before moving on to the crab legs. The meat within the legs is already pretty clean.
Introduction: My name is Msgr. Refugio Daniel, I am a fine, precious, encouraging, calm, glamorous, vivacious, friendly person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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