How to First Time Prepare Perfect Crab Legs in 2020
The royal crab is identified by its large, prickly shell and massive legs—an entire crab can span up to 5 feet wide. As expected, it is highly prized for the sweet, tender meat found in its legs. Gurung explains that, like most fishmongers, The Lobster Place sources its royal Alaskan crab from the cold, nutrient-rich waters where strict regulations ensure sustainability. From a health & nutrition standpoint, royal crab is a great source of lean protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and essential minerals, making it both a delicacy and a nutritious addition to a balanced diet.
How to prepare: When searching for crab legs, you’ll most likely come across precooked and frozen options. Keep in mind that with precooked foods, all you need to do is defrost and gently reheat them—avoid overcooking, as it can make the meat tough and chewy. Your fishmonger may also offer them pre-split, making it easier to extract the meat. You can steam, boil, or broil crab legs, and they pair wonderfully with melted butter or a remoulade-style sauce. From a health perspective, steaming is often the best method to retain nutrients and keep the dish lower in added fats, especially if you’re aiming for a lighter, more nutritious meal.
Let the water at the bottom of the steam pot boil, then add the crab legs in the steam and cover. The crabs will get hot when you can smell them. I also take one with a clamp and touch the fleshy part just to make sure it’s really hot. The best way to reach the meat is to use scissors. I use the kitchen scissors that come with knife sets, but you can buy only one at any kitchen supply store. Simply separate the crab in the obvious places and then cut the center. I also have, but it is not necessary, a glove in case the crab is very hot or if it is very thorny.
Add the crab legs to a microwave safe container. Add 1 tablespoon of water for every 8 ounces of crab legs. Microwave at high temperature for 3 to 4 minutes for every 8 ounces of crab legs. Serve with lemon slices, clarified butter and use nutcracker to open the peels. It is not recommended to boil the crab legs. This is because the meat tastes so delicate that cooking it directly in water or boiling crab can destroy the delicious flavors.
Clarified butter is also called extracted butter. Simply defined, clarified butter and ghee are translucent golden butter fats that remain after the solids are removed from milk and water. In short, clarified butter is only butter that contains only pure butter fat.
Clarified butter has a higher smoke point than normal butter, which allows it to cook at higher temperatures and does not spoil so quickly. The advantages of this type of butter is its long preservation quality (several months refrigerated) and its high smoke point (it can be used for frying without burning). The disadvantage is that it does not have the same rich and wonderful taste of butter without regular salt (since the solids have been removed from the milk) but it has a butterier taste than other oils.
