How to Reheat Crab Legs

Most crab legs are cooked before they are flash frozen.

While crab legs may take some work to eat, they are quite simple to prepare. Since the majority of frozen crab legs that you buy are precooked, you only need to reheat them before serving. There are a variety of ways to reheat crab legs, all of which are quite simple and very rewarding.

Things You'll Need

• Crab legs
• Large pot
• Oven and baking sheet
• Microwave

Instructions

1. Defrost the crab legs in the refrigerator overnight, or at least for 10 hours. If in a hurry, you can defrost crab legs in cold water or as a last resort in a microwave, but if possible, they should always be defrosted in a refrigerator.

2. Decide how you want to heat the crab legs. The most common ways to heat them are boiling, steaming, baking, microwaving or even grilling. Since frozen crab legs are usually precooked, simply heating them to serving temperature is all that is required

3. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil to boil the crab. Season the water with salt. When the water is boiling, add the crab legs. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for five to seven minutes.

4. Fill a pot with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil to steam the crab. Place a vegetable steamer or a colander over the pot and place the crab legs onto it. Steam the crab legs for five to seven minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees to heat crab legs in the oven. Place the crab legs on a baking sheet and bake for eight to 10 minutes.

6. Wrap the legs in a damp paper towel and microwave on high for twp to three minutes as another alternative.

7. Serve with lemon, cocktail sauce or melted butter once the legs are heated through.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are buying uncooked crab legs, add about 10 minutes to each of these methods of heating.

• Always buy frozen crab legs, never thawed, as the crab legs lose flavor when thawed.

References

• Alaskan King Crab: King Crab Cooking Tips