Snow Crab Legs
Revised & updated 1/12/2021 – Once you discover how easy & relatively inexpensive it is to make Snow Crab Legs at home, compared to ordering it in a restaurant, you’ll wonder why you never did it before! I like to serve Snow Crab Legs with a side of mashed potatoes & either corn, steamed broccoli or a vegetable medley like carrots, summer squash & broccoli.
Serves: 2
Ingredients
2 1/2 to 3 lbs frozen snow crab legs (see Tip# 1)
2 Tblsp organic ghee (divided) (see Tip #2 to make your own ghee)
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
1/2 tsp organic cane sugar
Directions
1. Defrost crab legs for about 2 hours & then rinse in cold water.
2. Set up your dinner table with napkins, seafood forks, seafood crackers or nutcrackers.
3. Also add to the table a large bowl, lined with a bag, for discarding crab shells.
4. On the stove top; melt 1 Tblsp of ghee in each of 2 separate metal butter servers, on warm heat. Keep warm till ready to serve.
5. Fill a 16 quart stock pot, 2/3 of the way, with water. Add salt & sugar to the water. Partially cover & bring to a rapid boil on high heat. (See Tip #4 for alternative cooking method)
6. On your counter, nearby the stock pot; set up a dinner plate with a large colander on top & a large set of tongs. Place crab leg racks in the boiling water, partially cover & boil for 3 minutes. Do not overcook. (see Tip #4 for alternative oven cooking method)
7. Using the tongs; remove leg racks to the plated colander to drain for a couple of seconds & immediately transfer to 2 serving platters.
8. Add your side dishes, melted ghee & serve right away.
Tips & Suggestions
1. You can buy frozen snow crab legs (precooked) in the seafood department of most grocery stores. I like to wait until it goes on sale & then buy several bags weighing between 2 1/2 to 3 lbs (each bag serves 2) & store them in the freezer.
2. Ghee is clarified butter & can be purchased in jars in most natural food stores or larger supermarkets. Here’s a recipe if you’d like to make your own from scratch:
Cut up 1 pound of organic, unsalted butter into 1 Tblsp pats & place in a small saucepan. Melt over low heat, then remove from heat & let stand 3 minutes. Skim froth off the top. Pour slowly through a cheesecloth into a glass jar, leaving the milky solids in the bottom of the pan. Cover & store in the refrigerator (will keep indefinitely). Yields about 3/4 lb.
3. If serving more than 2 people; increase the amount of ghee. Then at step# 7 place leg racks on a large baking sheet & keep warm in a preheated 175° oven. Repeat cooking procedure with remaining crab leg racks & serve everyone at the same time.
4. Alternative cooking method: At steps #5 – 8 preheat oven to 400°, place defrosted very wet crab legs on a large baking sheet, bake for 6 minutes (do not overcook), using tongs remove to serving platters, add your sides & melted ghee, serve immediately.
5. There’s not just crab meat in the orange leg parts, but there’s also loads of delicious meat in the upper white section, so be sure to dig it out & eat that as well.
