# How do I heat frozen cooked Crab legs?



## wannabechef (Dec 23, 2006)

Bought king crab (frozen) for Christmas eve. What is best method of cooking? I understand they are precooked when we buy and need only short time boiled or steamed.


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## Candocook (Dec 23, 2006)

Steam them and serve with butter.


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## Andy M. (Dec 23, 2006)

Wrap in damp paper towels and microwave for a minute.


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## Sararwelch (Dec 23, 2006)

I agree with steaming - they're good with cocktail sauce too!


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## Michelemarie (Dec 23, 2006)

Wow, learn something new everyday! We boiled ours and it stunk up the whole house - the next time we boiled them on the grill and it was much better - never thought of steaming them! Thanks!


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## JDP (Dec 23, 2006)

If you don't have a garge enough steamer. Put a baking rack into a roasting pan. Pour in enough boiling water to cover bottom with a 1/2 inch, place legs in and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400 degrees till hot.


JDP


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## Candocook (Dec 23, 2006)

Michelemarie said:
			
		

> Wow, learn something new everyday! We boiled ours and it stunk up the whole house - the next time we boiled them on the grill and it was much better - never thought of steaming them! Thanks!


 
They are already cooked. Steaming is gentler just heats them through without losing any more juices from them.  
They could be grilled, I suppose.


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## mudbug (Dec 23, 2006)

All I know is that there was a huge box of them for sale at Costco this morning for $185.  Giant box, giant legs.

Wonder if anyone bought it.


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## Candocook (Dec 23, 2006)

mudbug said:
			
		

> All I know is that there was a huge box of them for sale at Costco this morning for $185. Giant box, giant legs.
> 
> Wonder if anyone bought it.


 
They have been pretty much on sale around here for $10/lb. for a while.


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## boufa06 (Dec 23, 2006)

For a flavorful and spicy crab dish, you can try the famous Singapore chilli crab.  The recipe is here.

Even though this recipe is used in Singapore for hard-shell land crabs, usually from Sri Lanka or Australia it should also work for king crab as well because the latter is a hard-shell crab too.


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## SizzlininIN (Dec 23, 2006)

These are my absolute favorite seafood.  I haven't prepared them in years.  Thanks for the tip on steaming......I always boiled them.


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## Candocook (Dec 23, 2006)

boufa06 said:
			
		

> For a flavorful and spicy crab dish, you can try the famous Singapore chilli crab. The recipe is here.
> 
> Even though this recipe is used in Singapore for hard-shell land crabs, usually from Sri Lanka or Australia it should also work for king crab as well because the latter is a hard-shell crab too.


 
That looks fiery and delicious.
 Land crabs?   Sure does look like a Pacific--dungeness crab. 
_A great cook - Madam Cher Yam Tian - created a recipe for preparing fresh-from-the- sea crabs. She and her husband, Mr Lim Choon Ngee, set up a food stall selling sea crabs on the seashore, every day from dusk till the wee hours, by the light of a kerosene lamp. This was the first version of the Singapore Chilli Crab. _


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## Michael in FtW (Dec 23, 2006)

I would thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and then steam to heat them.


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## wannabechef (Dec 23, 2006)

Thank you all for tips and that chili recipe. My wife is Chinese so i am always happy to cook asian style. The large crab legs i bought are on sale for 5.99 here in Canada. Maybe i should buy another few pounds.


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## stargazer021 (Dec 23, 2006)

Michelemarie said:
			
		

> Wow, learn something new everyday! We boiled ours and it stunk up the whole house - the next time we boiled them on the grill and it was much better - never thought of steaming them! Thanks!


 
I recently made crab legs for the first time.  I wasn't sure how to make them and boiled them.  They did make the kitchen stink but they still tasted good.  Of course dipping in butter made them taste even better.  Next time I will steam them.  Thanks for the tips!


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## Michael in FtW (Dec 26, 2006)

stargazer021 said:
			
		

> I recently made crab legs for the first time. I wasn't sure how to make them and boiled them. They did make the kitchen stink but they still tasted good. Of course dipping in butter made them taste even better. Next time I will steam them. Thanks for the tips!


 
My suggestion to wannabechef was for _heating up_ already cooked crab legs.

Boiling or steaming fresh or uncooked frozen crabs, crab legs, crawfish, shrimp or even lobsters in plain water adds no flavor and IMHO - simply doesn't elevate the critters to their full potential!

Now ... if you were going to actually "cook" them ... I would use a pouch of Zatarain's Crawfish, Shrimp and Crab Boil dry spice packet - and the way Dad always did it was to add the packet to a big pot of cold water (along with a lemon cut in half and a couple of quartered onions) and bring it to a boil - then simmer for about an hour ... crank the heat up to a boil and then add new potatoes, about 5 minutes later ears of corn, and finally 3-4 minutes later the shellfish ... bring it back to a boil and then turn the heat off and let the pot sit (covered) for about 30 minutes. This adds sooooo much flavor!!!

Yep - your kitchen will still smell ... but it will smell "happy"  - not like dead fish  .


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## boufa06 (Dec 27, 2006)

Candocook said:
			
		

> That looks fiery and delicious.
> Land crabs?   Sure does look like a Pacific--dungeness crab.
> _A great cook - Madam Cher Yam Tian - created a recipe for preparing fresh-from-the- sea crabs. She and her husband, Mr Lim Choon Ngee, set up a food stall selling sea crabs on the seashore, every day from dusk till the wee hours, by the light of a kerosene lamp. This was the first version of the Singapore Chilli Crab. _


These crabs live in the mangroves, which are muddy areas close to the sea that are submerged during high tide and fully exposed when the waters recede at low tide.  If there is similarity in appearance to the crabs that you mentioned (dungeness crabs) so be it.  After all I do believe that the same recipe can be used with any kind of hard shell crabs.


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## boufa06 (Dec 27, 2006)

wannabechef said:
			
		

> Thank you all for tips and that chili recipe. My wife is Chinese so i am always happy to cook asian style. The large crab legs i bought are on sale for 5.99 here in Canada. Maybe i should buy another few pounds.


Glad you like the recipe.  However, if you can get fresh ones it's much better in taste and flavour.  Another way to prepare them is to stir fry with chopped garlic and season with light soya sauce and pepper besides steaming them of course.


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## Candocook (Dec 27, 2006)

I guess I just wouldn't call them "land crabs" and the post from the originating cook/chef refers to "fresh from the sea crabs". I have no doubt that the recipe can be used for the crabs we have available, which would be sea crabs.


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## rickell (Dec 27, 2006)

*crab legs*

we love them, once or twice a year my family and i all order 10-20 lbs each,
combine the qtys and we get a better price, we have
them shipped in from alaska  right from the crab
fishermen, they are to die for.

i have boiled, steamed, and grilled them.  i like to steam them
the best with a bit of lemon and garlic in the water. 

anyway you want is always a treat, but i think boiling them takes
the flavor away from the crab.


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## stinemates (Dec 28, 2006)

I reheat my Snow Crab the same way I reheat dungeness crab I buy off the peer...

Olive oil, garlic, in a huge sautee pan...  YUM. Serve with Clarified Butter or Ghee!


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## wannabechef (Dec 29, 2006)

Thank you to all. They were wonderful. Steamed them from thawed state for just a few minutes. They stayed firm and oh so sweet.


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## BreezyCooking (Dec 31, 2006)

Okay - this morning I bought 3 pounds of absolutely HUGE Alaskan King crab legs to have for a light supper tonight.  (There are 4 of them, all about 2' long, & the base of 2 of them are almost as big around as my wrist - lol!!)

They are cooked & frozen, & definitely won't be thawed by the time I want to cook them.  If I do the steaming-in-the-roasting pan method as opposed to boiling them in my big stock pot, how long would you estimate I steam them for?


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 1, 2007)

Well, I ended up popping them - still frozen - into a huge stock pot of boiling water for 10 minutes & they came out moist, sweet, & delicious!!!


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