Enjoy Boiled Crab Legs for a Special Dinner
The idea of cooking crab legs can be intimidating, but with a few simple steps, anyone can enjoy this fresh seafood dish at home as a special meal. From live Dungeness crab to Alaskan King crab, the seafood options available for sale in fresh markets are well worth learning a new cooking technique for.
The team at Farm-2-Market has provided a step-by-step guide to preparing a delicious crab dinner when you're willing to splurge on this decadent treat.
5 Steps for cooking crab legs
- If you’ve purchased frozen crab legs, thaw them by either covering them and keeping them in the refrigerator or running cool water over them in the sink. For faster preparation, fresh live crab can be found for sale or ordered online from seafood markets.
- Crabmeat is normally pre-cooked, in which case it can be prepared simply by boiling it for a few minutes until thoroughly heated. Fill a deep pot to approximately two thirds full of water, using one tablespoon of salt to flavor the crab, and bringing the water to a boil.
- Add the crab legs to the pot, ensuring they are entirely submerged in water, and bringing the water back to a boil.
- Boil the crab legs for 4-5 minutes uncovered, ensuring the crab legs remain evenly submerged in the water.
- Carefully remove the crab legs from the boiling water with tongs.
Tips for Removing Crabmeat
Twist the crab legs at the joints
Crabmeat can often be removed with the simple technique of twisting the legs at their joints, which may pull the meat out in one motion.
Use kitchen shears
If the crab meat cannot be pulled out of the shell by twisting the legs at the joints, an easy way to ensure you get the most out of this dish is to cut through the shell.
Serving crab legs
A decadent dish like Dungeness crab should be served as the centerpiece of the meal. Whether you remove the meat from the crab shells before guests arrive or provide kitchen shears for your guests to do this themselves, crab is best served simply with melted butter and lemon wedges.
At Farm-2-Market, we offer a range of fresh seafood, including delicious live Dungeness crab, which can be ordered online and shipped to you overnight. To browse our crab recipes or to learn more, please contact our team today.