How to Boil Frozen Snow Crab

Prepare succulent crab legs for your next meal.

Snow crabs are caught in both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. These white-bellied crustaceans feature a light brown top shell and legs with a sought-after sweet taste. Females are 3 inches wide, males are 4 inches. Their distinctively pleasant taste and low calorie level (a 3 oz. serving is 80 to 90 calories) make snow crab legs a popular seafood item. Freezing fresh crab legs is a good way to preserve the meat until you are ready to thaw, boil and eat it.

Things You'll Need

• Snow crab legs
• Glass dish
• Large stockpot
• Water
• 1 tsp. kosher salt (or sea salt)
• 3 tbsp. salted butter
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• Kitchen shears

Instructions

1. Place frozen snow crab legs in a large glass dish, and thaw them in the refrigerator 24 hours before you plan to eat them. Squeeze the widest section of one of the legs; when you feel it compress between your fingers with gentle pressure, the legs are thawed.

2. Fill a large stockpot with water and heat it to boiling on your stove top. Sprinkle 1 tsp. of large-grain kosher salt or sea salt into the water. After water reaches a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and place snow crab legs in pot. Let legs simmer for six to eight minutes.

3. Remove crab legs from pot with a pair of tongs, and let them cool for 15 minutes on your counter. While legs cool, melt 3 tbsp. of salted butter and 1 tbsp. of minced garlic in a saucepan over medium low heat or in the microwave. Once the crab is cooled to the touch, use the cracking edge on a pair of kitchen shears (located in between the handles at the base of the blade) to crack open the legs. Create an open seam that runs the length of each leg with the shears.

4. Drizzle each leg with the butter-garlic mixture and serve.

Tips & Warnings

• Frozen snow crab legs are cooked before freezing, so all you need to do is properly heat them before eating.

• If you don't have time to thaw the legs overnight in the refrigerator, place them under cold running water until you can compress the widest part of one of the legs with gentle pressure by squeezing it between your fingers.

References

• Cooking Fishmonger: Cooking Snow Crab
• Cook Frozen Crab: Snow Crabs