Season Crab Legs
Seasoning crab legs involves seasoning not only the actual crab shells and meat but also your cooking water. Choose frozen crab legs at the market, not crab legs that have been thawed. Thawed meat will have already lost much of its flavor.
Contents
Ingredients
Seasoning Steamed Crab Legs
Servings: 2
- 2 cups (480 ml) water
- 1 tsp. (4 g) salt
- 1 lb. (455 g) crab legs, frozen
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 4 to 6 lemon wedges
Seasoning Baked Crab Legs
Servings: 2
- 2 tbsp. (30 ml) olive oil or 2 tbsp. (30 g) butter
- 1 lb. (455 g) crab legs, frozen
- 1/4 tsp. (1 g) salt
- 1/4 tsp. (1 g) freshly ground black pepper
Seasoning Boiled Crab Legs
Servings: 2
- 1/2 tsp. (2 g) salt
- 1/2 tsp. (2 g) freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb. (455 g) crab legs
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 4 to 6 lemon wedges
Steps
Seasoning Steamed Crab Legs
Steaming crab legs allows them to retain the majority of their nutrients. Season your boiling water liberally to impart extra flavor into the meat.
- Bring the water to a boil in a large pot and add the salt to the water.
- Arrange your crab legs in the steamer basket. Place the steamer basket over the boiling water.
- Steam for 5 to 7 minutes or until you smell the aroma of the cooked crab legs.
- Remove the crab legs from the steamer basket and serve them with melted butter and lemon wedges.
Seasoning Baked Crab Legs
Baking also retains many of the crab’s nutrients. Brush the shell of the crab with oil or butter to make the meat richer.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 C). Spray a flat-bottomed metal baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- Arrange the crab legs on the baking sheet.
- Melt the butter in a small bowl in your microwave. For a healthier alternative, use olive oil and don’t microwave it.
- Brush the butter or olive oil over the crab legs using a basting brush.
- Sprinkle the crab legs with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Bake the crab legs in the oven for 8 to 9 minutes or until you smell their aroma.
- Remove the crab legs from the oven and set the baking pan on your range top. Allow the crab legs to cool for 5 minutes.
- Serve the crab legs, providing lemon wedges and melted butter for dipping.
Seasoning Boiled Crab Legs
When you boil crab legs, make sure to season the cooking water. Boiling is a good way to cook crab legs if you’ve had them in your refrigerator for a week or so.
- Fill a large saucepan 2/3 full of water and bring the water to a boil.
- Add salt and freshly ground pepper to your boiling water.
- Add the crab legs. Make sure that the crab legs are completely covered by the boiling water.
- Lower the heat to medium and cook the crab legs for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Remove the crab legs from the boiling water using tongs. Place the crab legs onto serving plates with lemon wedges and a dish of melted butter.
Tips
- Buy 8 ounces to 1 pound (225 to 455 grams) of crab legs per person at the market.
- Crab legs purchased at the market have been cooked at sea after they are caught and then flash frozen to preserve the flavor. When you cook them, you are actually just reheating them.
- Use a nutcracker to break the crab shell so that you can access the meat. If you don’t have a nutcracker, you can use a hammer, a pair of pliers, a knife or a fork.
- You can also microwave crab legs. Wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave for 2 to 3 minutes.
Warnings
- Use crab legs within 1 to 2 days after you thaw them for best results.
Things You'll Need
- Large pot
- Steamer basket
- Metal flat-bottomed baking sheet
- Basting brush
- Saucepan
- Tongs
- Plates for serving
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