Poaching crab legs is a fantastic way to gently cook already cooked crab while infusing it with flavor But how long should you poach crab legs to make sure they’re heated through without overcooking? Here’s what I’ve learned about getting the perfect poach on crab legs
Why Poach Crab Legs?
Poaching is a delicate cooking method that uses very low, gentle heat to warm foods through while keeping them moist and tender. Some key benefits of poaching crab legs include:
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Retaining moisture and texture. Poaching minimizes moisture loss so the crab meat stays succulent.
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Infusing flavor. The poaching liquid penetrates the crab imparting flavor.
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Versatility Poaching liquid can become a tasty broth or stock,
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Easy execution. Poaching requires minimal hands-on effort.
So poaching lets you add your own spin to pre-cooked crab legs while heating them gently to serve. It’s simple to do and results in crab that’s juicy, flavorful and ready to crack open.
Choosing Crab Legs to Poach
I prefer poaching crab legs that are already cooked since raw crab would require longer cooking. Good options include:
- King crab legs
- Snow crab legs
- Dungeness crab legs
The crab legs just need to be thawed if frozen and peeled if desired. For poaching, large legs can be cut into smaller sections.
How to Make Poaching Liquid
The poaching liquid provides moisture and steeps flavor into the crab as it heats. Simple combinations like wine, broth or water with aromatics work well. Some ideas:
- White wine, lemon, garlic, herbs
- Chicken or fish stock
- Coconut milk, lemongrass, lime
- Beer or cider with seasonings
Aim for enough poaching liquid to submerge the crab legs. Bring it to a bare simmer before adding crab.
How Long to Poach Crab Legs
Since the crab legs are already cooked, they just need to heat through. The optimal poaching time is generally 5-10 minutes.
Here are tips for perfect poach times:
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Thawed legs take less time than frozen, about 5 minutes.
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Frozen legs may need up to 10 minutes to heat through.
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Check for doneness at 5 minutes by cutting into meat.
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Add more time if needed for center to reach 145°F.
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Avoid over-poaching which causes moisture loss.
Serving Poached Crab Legs
Poached crab legs make a stellar entree or appetizer. Serve them with:
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Melted butter for dipping.
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Lemon or lime wedges.
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Poaching liquid as a broth.
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Baguette, rice or orzo to soak up juices.
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A salad or slaw for crunch.
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Drawn butter, aioli or mustard sauce as a dip.
Cracking open poached crab legs reveals tender, succulent meat infused with lots of flavor. Poaching really maximizes the deliciousness of crab legs while being simple to execute. Follow these tips for poaching times, and you’ll have tender crab legs cooked to perfection.
How to Poach Dungeness Crab
By Wild Alaskan Company
- 1 (32 oz.) pack Snap and Eat Dungeness Crab
- Poaching liquid (such as soup or a flavorful mixture of ingredients)
1. Combine ingredients for poaching liquid in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Add in crab legs, then set timer: 5 minutes for crab legs that have already been defrosted, 10 minutes if still frozen.
2. Enjoy while still warm, with poaching liquid if desired.
Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of food-borne illness, especially if you have a certain medical condition. The FDA recommends an internal temperature of 145°F for cooked fish.
A Delicate Method for Maximum Flavor
Our wild-caught Dungeness Crab comes pre-cooked and pre-scored for your ease and convenience. That means its ready to heat and eat, straight out of the pack.
To add your own flavorul twist to this already delicious crustacean, try poaching it! This gentle approach to heating Dungeness crab from Alaska is foolproof, endlessly remixable, and a cinch to pull off, making it a technique you’ll want to hone for everything from easy weeknight meals to effortless decadence on the weekends.
Why Poaching Works
For a proper poach, you won’t bring the legs to a full on boil — a bare simmer is all you need. This allows the Dungeness crab to retain more of its juices, nutrients, and texture than if it were to be heated up in a rolling boil or even a moderate simmer.
Poaching crab allows you to infuse the crabmeat with the flavors you’ve assembled in your cooking vessel. The poaching liquid also benefits from the subtle intermingling of flavors, picking up some of the briny goodness of the Dungeness crab. That means you can create a delicious broth to serve alongside your crabmeat or to save for another use.
Keep in mind the Dungeness crab legs and claws that we offer are already cooked, so they typically won’t need more than 5 minutes to be warmed through, even at the low temperatures you’ll use while poaching them.
Poaching Basics
Start by building a poaching liquid whose flavors are distinctive enough to make an impact on your dish. Generally, your liquid will be water-based, spiked with flavorful components. These flavors don’t have to be bold — a simple mixture of white wine, garlic, and lemon will do just fine — but you do want your poaching liquid to be intense enough to adequately season the crabmeat.
- For something inspired by Chinese cuisine, try a poaching liquid enhanced with Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, ginger, and scallions.
- Or, use lemongrass, ginger, and kaffir lime leaves to build a Southeast Asian flavor profile.
- White wine, garlic, and herbs de Provence will take your dish to France.
- Sliced garlic, smoked paprika, and a bit of sherry and sherry vinegar builds a broth reminiscent of Spain.
Don’t fret so much about measurements here, just use your sense of taste to guide you. The most important consideration is to create enough poaching liquid to submerge your crab legs.
Combine these ingredients in a pot large enough to hold your crab legs, bringing this mixture to a simmer before turning down your burner to its lowest setting; there’s no exact temperature you’re aiming for here, but you want little to no movement in your poaching liquid to ensure that you’re warming your crab legs in gentle heat. Add in your thawed crab legs, then set your timer for 5 minutes.
Serve your poached crab legs alongside something that can absorb any juices the drip out from the shells as you snap them open. If your poaching liquid is particularly delicious, reserve it as a broth to enjoy along with your poached legs, or as a stock to cook everything from rice to noodles, which will complement any meal featuring Dungeness crab from Alaska.
More Poaching Inspo
Poaching liquids can also be made from a fish, chicken, or veggie stock if you prefer. Even subtle dashi works well. Try adapting Food & Wine’s recipe for crab and tofu in dashi by poaching your shell-on crab legs in the hot dashi, after the pot has been removed from the heat; there will still be plenty of residual heat in the liquid to warm up the crab and extract flavor from the shells. Bring everything to a simmer after you add soy and mirin, then serve immediately.
Light beer also works well as a poaching liquid; try adapting this recipe for beer-poached crabs from Melba Wilson for use with your Dungies, keeping an eye on the proportions and technique. You’ll discard the poaching liquid once your crab legs are brought to temperature, but there will be plenty of this tasty juice trapped within the shells to create a hot, delicious mess once you get cracking.
How Long Do I Boil Crab? : Seafood & Outdoor Cooking
FAQ
How long to poach crab?
Combine ingredients for poaching liquid in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Add in crab legs, then set timer: 5 minutes for crab legs that have already been defrosted, 10 minutes if still frozen.
How long to cook crab in boiling water?
How many minutes to cook crab meat?
How to cook a crab. Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Lower in the crab, simmer for 12 mins per kg, then leave to cool a little in the liquid.
How long to boil edible crab?
A small to medium crab will take about 15 minutes; a larger one will take 20 minutes or more. A crab over 1kg will take about 25 minutes.