Easy, classic, served with melted butter and lemon and ready in 10 minutes.
One of my early memories as a kid was eating piles of Alaskan king crab legs in restaurants.
I grew up in New Jersey where the much smaller blue crab reigns supreme.
Eating these crabs was like traveling to a different world.
As I later learned, itwasa different world back then.
King crab was what you got when lobster was too expensive.
Alison Bickel
In 1981, fishermen hauled up 130 million pounds of kings.
Two years later, the fishery collapsed.
It took years, but crab stocks did recover.
Alison Bickel
Since then, king crab has been fished sustainably throughout Alaska.
What Does King Crab Taste Like?
Rich, soft, and briny, king crab is reminiscent more of lobster than of crab.
Alison Bickel
Alaskan king crab is cooked and blast frozen right in the harbor.
If they did not, the giant crabs would die and rot within hours.
This means that as a cook, you are really reheating king crab, not actually cooking it.
Alison Bickel
I prefer to steam it for 5 minutes and call it a day.
King crab really needs nothing else.
How To Serve King Crab
King crab is best served simply.
To do too much to it would be like stuffing caviar into a burrito.
Steam it, grill it or even microwave it, and then choose a support player and enjoy.
The classic is, was, and always will be melted butter and lemon.
It is a classic for a reason.
you could buy directly from the fisheries themselves or look for wild-caught or sustainably farmed labels in the store.
Set a steamer tray inside a large pot and pour enough water inside to steam the crab.
Bring this to a boil before laying the crab legs on the steamer.
Cover the pot and steam for 5 minutes.
Remove the crab legs and use kitchen shears to cut the shells.
you could either totally remove the meat from the shell or just get each one started for your guests.
Serve with the melted butter and lemon wedges on the side.
