One of the questions I get asked most, especially during the holidays is how to best cook King Crab. Here’s the quick down-and-dirty:
The day before serving them, you want to run cold water over them in the sink to rinse the salt-glaze off while they are still frozen. Next, place them in a leakproof container in the fridge over night.
The next day, about half an hour before you want to cook them, take out the container and and let them get close to room temperature. They are already cooked, so you just need to warm them up (the butter is what warms up your bite). Set your oven to a Warm, or Low setting and only cook what you are going to use right away, and keep the rest in the warm oven. Rather than putting the entire mound on the table, take them straight to the plates.
Hot butter is the key to heating up the crab for every succulent bite. Keep hot butter on the stove during the entire meal process. Every time you dip the crab into the butter, the crab is pulling some of the heat out, so you want to keep the butter refreshed.
Now, pre-Covid, each individual could just keep refreshing the butter from the serving bowl on the table, but with serving guidelines you really want to have one ladle coming from the pot, and try to have one individual warm up each person’s butter bowl.
Surf and Turf will have King Crab available this year, and we are currently taking pre-orders. The general rule of thumb is one to two pounds per person (based on pre-shelled weight), but if you have family and friends like mine, you may count on three pounds for those who will eat more than others. Please visit our products page to place your pre-order now!