The meat of king crabs is mostly in their
legs; they're often pre-cooked and sold frozen. For the easiest
feast of crab you can have, just thaw them and heat them up.
You can also use the thawed crab meat in recipes.
How to Heat Frozen Crab Legs
- Defrost frozen crab legs in the refrigerator.
Place them on a rack over a watertight pan to allow them to drain
as they thaw. Cover with plastic wrap.
- Allow them to thaw completely. This will
take a day or two.
- Heat the oven to 400*F (205*C).
- Place legs in shallow baking pan on a
rack.
- Roast crab legs just until hot, about
4 to 5 minutes. Remember, they're already cooked, so don't overcook
them.
- Thawed crab legs can also be reheated
in a steamer or in the microwave.
- Serve with lemon wedges, cocktail sauce
and melted butter, or use the meat as you'd like.
Note: Thawing the crab legs in the refrigerator
is safer than letting them thaw at room temperature. Some people
thaw them in the microwave or as part of the reheating process,
but this can often lead to overcooking.
Add garlic or minced fresh tarragon to the melted butter for
extra flavor.