Snow crab legs are a delicious seafood treat that many people love to eat. However, knowing how long to boil snow crab legs can be tricky for home cooks. Overcooking leads to tough, rubbery meat while undercooking produces mushy crab meat. Follow this guide to learn exactly how long you need to boil snow crab legs to achieve tender, flaky texture and sweet, briny flavor.
What are Snow Crab Legs?
Snow crab legs come from snow crab, a species of crab that lives in cold, northern waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans The crab’s long, spindly legs are the edible parts, containing sweet flesh.
Snow crab legs are sold pre-cooked and frozen at grocery stores. You simply need to defrost and reheat them at home. Fresh uncooked snow crab legs may also be available at some fish markets and Asian grocery stores. These raw legs require a longer boiling time.
Tips for Boiling Snow Crab Legs
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If using frozen legs, defrost legs overnight in the refrigerator before cooking. Do not cook frozen legs.
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Use a large pot and add enough water to fully submerge the legs, Bring the water to a rolling boil,
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Add salt, lemon, and Old Bay or crab boil seasoning to the water for flavor.
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Use tongs to carefully lower the legs into the boiling water. Work in batches if needed to prevent overcrowding.
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Keep the heat on high to maintain a rolling boil. Keep the lid off so you can monitor doneness.
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Have melted butter, lemon wedges, and shell crackers ready for serving.
How Long to Boil Pre-Cooked Snow Crab Legs
Most snow crab legs sold in stores are already cooked so they just need reheating. Here is how long to boil pre-cooked snow crab legs:
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Small legs or leg clusters: 3-5 minutes
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Medium sized legs or clusters: 5-7 minutes
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Large legs or clusters: 7-10 minutes
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Extra large king crab legs: 9-12 minutes
Boil pre-cooked legs just until heated through. The shell will turn bright red-orange when done. Overcooking will lead to dry, rubbery meat.
How Long to Boil Raw Snow Crab Legs
If you purchased raw, uncooked snow crab legs, they will take longer to boil:
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Small legs: 6-8 minutes
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Medium legs: 8-10 minutes
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Large legs: 10-12 minutes
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Extra large legs: 12-15 minutes
Boil raw legs just until the opaque meat turns white and flaky. Prevent overcooking as this makes the crab meat tough.
Tips for Reheating Leftover Crab Legs
Got leftover boiled crab legs? Here are some quick ways to reheat them:
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Microwave: Place legs on a microwave-safe plate, cover with a damp paper towel and microwave just until warmed through, 1-2 minutes.
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Steam: Place legs in a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water. Cover and steam just until heated through, 3-4 minutes.
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Bake: Put legs on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 4-5 minutes.
Only reheat previously cooked crab legs. Do not try to re-boil raw crab legs that were already cooked. This will toughen the meat.
Let Your Crab Legs Shine
Now you know exactly how long to boil snow crab legs! Follow these tips for tender, juicy crab every time. Be sure not to overcook the crab. And dip the sweet meat into melted butter or lemon for true crab leg bliss.
Why We Love This Recipe
When it comes to dining out, I’m a sucker for crab. It’s my favorite restaurant food to order. Granted it’s not exactly easy on the wallet, but it’s a splurge I indulge in from time to time.
But here’s the thing – you can totally make snow crab legs at home for a fraction of the price of eating out! They only take 5 minutes and they taste just as good as good as a fancy restaurant.
There’s nothing tricky to this crab recipe. I usually make 2 pounds, one pound for each serving, but you can make as much or as little crab as you like. Just boil some water, season it, add your crab, and then take it out when the timer goes off.
- Crab legs – Snow crab or king crab. You can also use this method for boiling dungeness crab or blue crab.
- Water – For boiling the crab.
- Salt – This is for salting the water which will give your crab flavor.
- Old Bay seasoning – The most widely used seasoning blend for seafood. It has a blend of 18 spices, including celery salt, mustard, paprika, salt and black pepper.
- Lemon wedges – Crab with lemon is a perfect pairing.
- Unsalted butter – Crab legs can be salty, so you’ll want to minimize any additional salt.
How To Cook Crab Legs
There are several methods you can use to cook crab legs. Boiling is the most common, but you could also steam or grill them.
I like to make the clarified butter while the crab cooks so everything is done together. The steps below talk you through making both the butter and crab at the same time.
How to Cook Crab Legs
FAQ
How long do snow crabs take to boil?
How long do you keep crab in boiling water?
Bring liquid to a simmer and add crabs headfirst to water. Cook the 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-pound crabs about 15 minutes, and the 3-pound crabs about 20 minutes. Strain cooked crabs into a colander and rinse briefly under cool water. Serve with Drawn Butter, Tarragon Aioli and Aioli with Piment d’Espelette.
How do you know when snow crab is done?
Add the snow crab clusters and place a tight fitting lid on top of the pot. Cook the crab legs for 8 minutes, or until they are bright red in color and seaming hot. Serve immediately.