Alaskan King Crab Legs
Tips for Cooking Alaskan King Crab Legs
Do you love the taste of Alaskan king crab legs but hate paying an arm and a leg for them at restaurants? The good news is that you don’t have to dine out to enjoy a succulent king crab leg. There are plenty of ways to prepare this delicious seafood, and you wouldn’t believe how easily they are to cook. In this article, you are going to learn how to pick good king crab legs from the store or market as well as learn a few tasty and simple ways to cook sweet and succulent Alaskan king crab legs.
When purchasing king crab legs, it’s important to understand the measurements so that you can be sure you have enough for however many people you are feeding. As a guide, you could estimate that you would need between eight ounces and a pound of crab legs per person. When you are looking at the measurements on the package, you may notice numbers such as 6 – 9, 12 – 14, 21 – 24, etc. This type of measurement is basically telling you how many of these crab legs it takes to make ten pounds. For instance, a package that says 6 – 9 means that it only contains between six and nine legs to equal ten pounds. As you can imagine, those will be massive crab legs! This isn’t the only way to measure crab legs, so you can simply go by the ounces or pounds on the package as well. If you are serving two people, two pounds (32 ounces) of crab legs should be more than enough.
Alaskan king crab legs come in red, blue, and “golden” colors—red being the most popular because it tends to have the sweetest, most flavorful taste. Red king crab should be almost a solid shade of red. Blue king crab is often red with a hint of orange around the edges, and golden king crab tends to be on the smaller side with more orange than the blue king crab. Most king crab purchased from the store has been pre-cooked and quickly frozen to preserve the taste. If you are purchasing the crab legs from a fish market, inquire as to whether the legs have been pre-cooked or not. King crab legs should never be frozen, allowed to thaw, and then re-frozen. This causes a huge loss in taste and can be dangerous due to an increased chance of bacterial growth. If you have thawed your king crab, it can keep in the refrigerator for about two days before it must be cooked or thrown out.
Regardless of how you cook the crab legs, it’s always a good idea to rinse them under cold running water first. You must also make sure that the crab legs have thawed thoroughly before cooking them. This is best done by leaving the legs in your refrigerator overnight, as seafood left at room temperature to thaw is more likely to sustain bacterial growth. If you are in a hurry, use cold water to thaw the crab legs.
The first method we are going to talk about is steaming, as this tends to produce the best results in regards to flavor. To prepare, pour about two cups of water into your steamer or into a large pot and bring it to a boil. Place the crab legs in the steamer rack or in a metal colander placed over the pot of boiling water. Allow the legs to cook for six or seven minutes, or until they have warmed all the way through. You should be able to smell the sweet seafood aroma well when they are done cooking. When the crab legs are done, remove them from the heat and place them onto a serving platter. Best served with melted butter with lemon, or melted butter with two or three drops of tobacco sauce.
Baked Alaskan king crab legs are also very nice, and are easy to prepare because you can throw in vegetables, prepared rice, or whatever else you like! Go ahead and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the king crab legs over the baking dish, making sure that they don’t overlap. Pour just a bit of water into the pan so that the entire bottom is wet. Cover the entire dish with aluminum foil and bake for ten minutes. When the crab legs are thoroughly heated, move them to a serving dish and garnish however you like!
If you have a pot large enough to accommodate the crab legs, you can boil them, which is just as easy as steaming or baking! Fill a large pot full of water and add a bit of salt. Bring the water to a boil and add the crab legs. Reduce the heat to medium. If the legs don’t fit well enough to be fully submerged in the water, you may have to rotate them halfway through cooking time to ensure that they are completely cooked. If you want your king crab legs to have a bit of extra flavor, add a small handful of chopped onions and a few lemon wedges to the water as they cook. The crab legs should be ready in about six or seven minutes.
Now that you know how easy it can be to cook Alaskan king crab legs, you can enjoy them as often as you like—even make them a regular part of your diet if you wish! Happy cooking!