Snow crabs are very tasty crustaceans which are found in the waters of the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. These are caught and largely consumed in Japan, Northern Europe and North America. The snow crabs are also frozen and shipped to countries all across the world. Hence, people all across the world have their own way of how to make crab legs.
There is no particular way on how to make crab legs, but following the steps is very important.
Cooking the Snow Crab Legs by Boiling
There is more than just a single way of cooking these beautiful sea creatures. Boiling, steaming and baking them seem to be the most popular choices among the sea food enthusiasts. Want to know how to make crab legs? Read on.
Choosing the Size
Snow crab legs are generally quite large and since they are cooked whole, you will need to make sure that they completely fit into your pot for cooking. While buying the snow crab legs, keep in mind the size of the largest pot that you own and buy them accordingly, such that they can be dipped entirely in water. This is a very crucial step on how to make crab legs.
Thaw the Snow Crab Legs
Now that you have chosen and bought the perfect sized snow crab legs for yourself, it is time to thaw. When learning how to make crab legs, not many people pay attention to thawing.
You can place the snow crab legs overnight in the refrigerator, but make sure that you cover them completely while you do so. In case these haven’t been placed in the refrigerator the entire night, then you can run it under cold water. Continue doing so until the legs have thawed completely.
Generally these snow crab legs are pre-cooked; hence, it doesn’t take very long to cook them. But to keep them fresh, they are frozen. This helps in learning how to make snow crab legs.
Prepare to Boil
As mentioned above, the snow crab legs must be completely immersed in water while you cook them. Hence, choose a pot which can comfortably accommodate the snow crab legs. This is one of the most important steps on how to make crab legs.
Now take a large pot and fill about 2/3rd of it with water. Add some salt to it for flavour. There is no specific measurement regarding how much salt should be added to the water, since you will be doing so according to what suits your taste. Now bring the water to boil.
Tuck the Legs
Place the snow crab legs in the pot with boiling water. While you drop the in water, be very careful to not burn your hands. You will notice that the water will stop boiling when you have placed the crab legs in it. So, turn up the heat and make sure that the water starts boiling again. This is a very important step in how to make crab legs.
Continue boiling the snow crab legs for approximately 4 or 5 minutes. Once, cooked you can get them out of the pot using the tongs. Drain out the excess water from them. You need to remember this top on how to make crab legs.
Splitting the Legs
You will need kitchen shears in order to split the legs open of the snow crab. Split these lengthwise and each leg can be served to a guest. You will have to serve these with seafood forks as it is needed to get the meat out of the shell. Learning how to split the legs of the crab is very important when you are learning how to make crab legs.
Serve
Generally the snow crab legs are served with some butter and lemon. So melt some butter (or clarified butter) until you are sure that there are no more solid parts left in it. Serve it hot and enjoy it disappear from in front of you, as your guests relish them. if they like it, then you have learnt how to make crab legs.
