How to Steam Crab Legs

Crab legs are the tender, succulent white meat of the crab. It is a sweet meat that some claim is the best part of the crab. The best way to buy crab legs is cooked and then frozen, so all you have to do is reheat them. The crab legs are cooked on the fishing boats and then frozen to assure freshness. Cooked crab legs can be steamed quickly and easily. Plan on eight ounces to a pound for each person.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Steamer (stainless steel)
• 2 cups of water
• 1 tbs of salt/quart of water for thawing
• Melted butter
• Lemon wedges
• Nutcrackers
• Scissors

1. Thaw crab legs in salty cold water in the refrigerator for eight hours. For each quart of water, add 1 tablespoon of salt.

2. Pour 2 cups of water into a steamer. Bring the water to a boil. Place the crab legs in the steamer basket or a rack in the cooker. When the water starts to boil, time the legs for five to seven minutes.

3. Check to see if the crab legs are warmed through. The first indication that they are ready is the aroma of crab. The second indication is to check the meat by touching it. If the legs are hot to touch, the crab legs are ready.

4. Remove the crab legs and serve immediately. Have melted butter and lemon wedges on the table for your guests. For the health conscious, and yet another delightful taste experience, substitute a good extra virgin olive oil for the melted butter and serve with the lemon wedges. Some people like to use nutcrackers or old-fashioned pry-type can openers to open the legs. Serrated scissors can be handy as well as forks.

Tips & Warnings

• Break the crabs at the joints and slit open the straight sections of leg shell for easy removal of the crab meat in large chunks. A crisp, fruity, clean tasting wine, raspberry iced tea or fresh lemonade complement crab legs well. A fresh garden salad with vinaigrette or ranch dressing is the perfect accompaniment.
• Cook defrosted legs at once. Remove any leftover meat from shells and refrigerate immediately. Use refrigerated crab meat within one day. Discard shells as soon as possible. You can also freeze the empty shells in a used ziplock bag until refuse pickup day to avoid fishy odors.

Resources

• Cooking Crab Legs

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