The Simplest Alaskan King Crab Legs

Easy Alaskan King Crab Legs

Hearts, sprinkles, love letters, and romantic gestures from someone you’ve admired from afar. Or, maybe not. Valentine’s Day is one of the most anticipated holidays of the year. And the most dreaded. But fear not the pudgy cherub with his pointy bow that may or may not be misdirected, it matters not whether you have a love in your life, you still need to feed your face.

A favorite of mine and my honey bunny poochie coo (er, husband) for V-day is keepin’ it simple with a bottle of wine and crackin’ crab in front of the Tivo and catching up on last week’s Parenthood.

Some people think crab is something you only get when you go out for that special meal, but honestly, we’re total opposites in that theory. Why spend all your dough on the restaurant mark-up when instead you can grab yourself a couple of extra legs to heat up toot sweet?

What’s in This Steamed Crab Legs Recipe?

When I say this is the simplest king crab legs recipe, I mean it. The only ingredients you’ll need to make steamed crab legs are fresh dill and Alaskan king crab legs. I know, stupid simple (and stupid delicious).

If desired, you’ll also need some melted butter for dipping and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to add a pop of flavor to the crab. Easiest Valentine’s Day dinner ever? I think so.

How to Cook Crab Legs

We’ve cooked Alaskan king crab legs every which way—except in a Crockpot because that would just be not right. We’ve boiled, sautéed, steamed, broiled, and barb-qued.

Easy Baked King Crab Legs Recipe for Two • Zona Cooks

The best way we’ve found to cook up these leggy supermodel crustaceans is by binding them up in paper towels and plastic wrap like little high school wrestlers trying to make weight before the big match and using most cooks’ day-to-day, go-to kitchen-cooking-contraption, the good old microwave.

Since crab from the grocery store freezer bin is already flash cooked, the problem with cooking at home is just that. You’re cooking it twice! So instead of cooking it again, to shreds, to rubbery smithereens, just give it a little warm-up.

Thanks to Alton Brown and his uber scientific genius ways, we have our favorite crabby-crab recipe to dip in fatty-mc fat buttery goodness with a squirt of lemon. Enjoy!

How Long to Steam Crab Legs?

Because we’re making steamed crab legs in a slightly unconventional manner, the cooking time is reduced dramatically. Once you’ve wrapped up the Alaskan king crab legs, they’ll need to steam in the microwave for just 2 minutes.

Can I Use Another Type of Crab Leg?

Not for this particular recipe, no. Alaskan king crab legs are quite large, so you really can’t substitute other types of crab in this steamed crab legs recipe.

Tips for Making Alaskan King Crab Legs

Be sure to cut the crab legs at the joints so they fit comfortably in your microwave. You don’t want the legs touching the walls of the microwave as they cook.

Since the king crab legs have been steamed and thus the shells are softened, I use kitchen shears to open the crab legs rather than a crab cracker. It makes life so much easier!

The lemon juice and melted butter and totally optional when enjoying your steamed crab legs, but highly recommended. If you have another favorite dipping sauce for crab legs, I’m all ears.