Are Frozen Crab Legs Precooked? Everything You Need To Know

As a seafood lover, one of my favorite indulgences is a succulent plate of crab legs. I love cracking open those hard shells to get to the sweet, tender meat inside. But every time I buy a bag of frozen crab legs at the store or market, I find myself wondering – are frozen crab legs already cooked?

The short answer is yes most commercially sold frozen crab legs are fully precooked before freezing. This applies to common varieties like snow crab legs, king crab legs and Dungeness crab legs. So frozen crab legs are ready to eat after simply thawing and heating.

In this detailed article, I’ll cover everything you need to know about precooked frozen crab legs, including:

• Why are frozen crab legs precooked?
• How to tell if frozen legs are precooked
• Thawing and reheating methods
• Cooking tips for best results
• Recommended recipes

Let’s get cracking and dive deep into the world of frozen crab legs!

Why Are Frozen Crab Legs Precooked?

There are two main reasons why most frozen crab legs undergo precooking:

• Food safety – Cooking crab legs before freezing kills bacteria and pathogens, ensuring the frozen seafood stays safe to consume. Eating undercooked crab poses health risks.

• Convenience – Precooking saves time and effort for both crab suppliers and consumers. The legs just need quick thawing and reheating rather than lengthy raw cooking.

Precooking happens right after catch, either on the fishing boats or soon after the crabs reach land. The legs are briefly steamed or boiled, processed, and then flash frozen to lock in freshness. This preserves the flavor, texture and nutrients.

So rest assured that frozen crab legs bought at the store have been fully cooked and handled properly for safety. All you need to do is thaw and reheat them!

How To Tell If Frozen Crab Legs Are Precooked

Since most frozen crab legs are precooked, how do you know for sure? Here are a few easy ways to identify precooked legs:

• Check the packaging – Precooked frozen crab legs will be labeled as “ready to eat”, “cooked”, “just heat and serve”, etc.

• Shell color – Raw crab shells are purplish while cooked shells turn vivid orangey-red. Precooked legs will look orange/red.

• Leg shape – Raw legs are straight while cooked legs arch more. Precooked frozen legs will have that cooked shape.

• Meat color – Raw meat is translucent while cooked meat is opaque white. Crack one open and check the meat.

If the frozen legs check all the boxes for labeling, shell color, shape, and meat opacity – you can trust they are precooked and ready for eating after warming up.

Thawing Your Frozen Precooked Crab Legs

Thawing is an important first step, as reheating frozen crab can lead to dryness. Here are some good thawing methods:

• Refrigerator – Place legs in a bowl/tray, cover, and thaw overnight or up to 24 hours. This is the gentlest approach.

• Cold water – Submerge bagged legs in cold water, changing water every 30 minutes. Legs thaw in 1-2 hours.

• Microwave – Microwave legs in a microwave-safe dish in 30 second increments, checking often. Takes just 5-10 mins.

Thaw until the crab meat no longer feels icy cold. Under-thawed crab can lead to uneven cooking, so be patient.

How To Reheat Thawed Frozen Crab Legs

Once thawed, reheating precooked crab legs is super easy. Here are foolproof methods:

• Steaming – In a pot with a steamer basket, steam legs for 5-8 minutes. Simple and effective.

• Boiling – Gently boil legs for 4-5 minutes until heated through. Avoid overboiling.

• Grilling – Grill legs on medium-high heat, basting with oil, for 6-8 minutes. Flip halfway.

• Broiling – Broil legs 3-4 inches from heat for 5-7 minutes total, flipping midway.

• Sautéing – Sauté legs in oil for 3-4 minutes per side.

• Microwaving – Microwave legs in 1 minute increments, flipping halfway. Don’t overcook.

Check for doneness by touching meat – it should feel hot. Now crack open, dip in melted butter and indulge!

Handy Tips For Cooking Frozen Crab Legs

Follow these top tips for fabulous reheated crab every time:

• Don’t overcook since legs are precooked – 5-8 mins reheating is usually enough.

• If baking or grilling, always preheat oven/grill fully before adding legs.

• Use a meat thermometer and target 145°F for ideal doneness.

• Watch closely and set timers to avoid over/under cooking.

• Check the thickest part of the meat to ensure it’s fully heated through.

• Brush with oil or broth and cover to prevent drying out.

Delicious Recipes For Frozen Crab Legs

Beyond steaming, here are some of my favorite ways to use those thawed frozen legs:

• Garlic lemon crab legs – Sauté legs in butter and garlic. Tasty and easy!

• Crab legs salad – Toss crab meat with greens, veggies, and a lemony dressing.

• Crab fried rice – Stir fried rice with crab meat, egg, and veggies for a quick meal.

• Crab cakes – Make crabby patties by combining leg meat with breadcrumbs and spices.

• Crab dip – Creamy, cheesy baked dip with crab meat and green onions.

• Crab soup – Add crab meat to seafood stews and chowders before serving.

Most crab legs sold in stores are precooked, especially if they are frozen. To confirm, check the packaging for labels indicating they are precooked or flash-frozen. If they are frozen, they are likely already cooked.