How to Cook King Crab Legs

King crabs, also known as stone crabs, are a favorite food for those who love seafood. The white meat of king crabs is rich in proteins and contains low carbohydrates and fats. As the name signifies, this variety of crab is enormous in size. Some crab species have legs as long as 6 feet and weigh about 8 kg.

The characteristic feature of king crabs is that they possess only 6 legs, while other crabs have 8 legs. As of now, about 40 species of king crabs have been identified, out of which some are consumed as food.

The most widely eaten species are golden king crab, red king crab, and blue king crab. Among them, red king crab is the most expensive and sought after species. Their delicious meat can be used for the preparation of appetizers, soups, salads, stewed recipes, and quick microwave dishes.

While cooking the king crabs, one can make use of mushrooms, spinach, other vegetable ingredients, and lots of seasonings to increase the flavor of the dish.

While speaking about the cooking and preparation of king crab legs, they are packaged after being cooked and then frozen in order to retain the flavor. Hence, the preparation of king crab legs requires proper heating by using various ingredients. There is no need to add salt while cooking and steaming king crab legs, as they are already treated with brine solution during packaging.

As they are already cooked, they require less time for cooking. The only time-consuming preparatory step is thawing the frozen crab legs. You can thaw them by keeping in the refrigerator at least for 8 hours. Another tip to thaw them quickly is placing them under the running water. Following are some of the popular and tasty ways of cooking king crab legs:

For steaming the king crab legs, heat water in a large saucepan and bring it to a boil. Make sure that you add enough water to dip the crab legs. Place a rack in the saucepan and put the legs on it. Cover with a lid and cook for about 6-7 minutes. Remove the cooked crab legs and serve with melted butter and lemon.

For cooking whole king crab legs without breaking them, you can consider baking them in the oven at 350 ºF for 8-10 minutes. For tasty baking, place the already thawed crab legs in a shallow baking pan and add hot water. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake in the oven, till the meat is cooked well.

In case you are preparing the crab legs after splitting them, brush them lightly with olive oil and grill them in medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. Turn it over, brush with olive oil again and grill for another 3-4 minutes. Remove the grilled crab legs and serve with butter, sauce or light dip curry and lots of seasonings.