Those Marylanders are onto something with their love of crab legs. Shrimp, mussels, and scallops are seafood staples during the summer, but if we’re being honest, one of the best dishes you can cook during the summertime is crab legs.
Crab legs come into season in early April and run into late Fall, and are perfect summer dinner fare – especially when you boil them and enjoy them outdoors with friends and family. But if you’ve never learned how to cook crab legs before, the process can seem a bit daunting. Luckily, it’s fairly easy to cook crab legs, as you’ll see in our how-to guide below.
Let’s get started!
How to Cook Crab Legs
Before you start, you’ll need to prep the crab legs. If you’re buying them frozen, let them thaw out completely in a bowl of cool water (inside of a zip lock bag) until it’s completely thawed. Once the crab legs are fully thawed out, let the crab legs soak in cool water again (sans zip lock bag) for 5 minutes before cooking.
Heat up 12 cups of water into a large pot over high heat. Add in 2 tablespoons and a wedge of lemon into the water. Once the water is boiling, add in the crab legs and bring the water back to a boil. Cook the crab legs for 5-7 minutes. After removing them from the water, pat them dry with a paper towel before serving. Serve with a splash of lemon and a side of melted butter to dip in.
Do you have any favorite methods for cooking crab legs? Share them with us in the comments below!
