How To Cook Crab Meat? Step-By-Step On Different Dishes

Crabmeat is one of the dishes that many people love because it is delicious and full of nutrients. However, to cook delightful Crab, not everyone knows how to do it. In this article, Battersby will show you how to cook delicious crab meat.

To cook snow crab meat, you need to know how to make Crab and prepare it in advance. There are many different ways to cook crab legs, such as boiled, steamed or grilled.

In addition, you can also process crabs into many other high-class dishes. But basically it will still be based on the primary ways of cooking crab. 

How To Cook Crab Meat

Some ways To Cook Crab Meat 

 Many people think that cooking crab legs only by steaming, boiling, or baking is simple. However, to cook Crab meat, you also have to prepare the utensils and ingredients for that dish.

If only one component is missing, it can make the dish taste wrong. So follow the steps below to cook the most delicious crab dish.

Pan-fried Crab

Pan-fried Crab 

Pan-fried Crab is a dish that many people love. After processing, snow crab legs will be more chewy and fragrant than other processing methods.

However, leaving the Crab in the pot for too long can cause the canned crab meat sold to shrivel and lose its freshness.

View more: How To Cook Frozen Cooked Shrimp

Step 1: Prepare pots and utensils

Prepare a large pot or pan, enough to hold the number of fresh crabmeat you prepare.

It would help if you did not choose a too big pot because the heat will spread widely, not cooking the crabs. Larger pots will take longer to cook and use more fuel.

Pots that are too small are also not ideal because you will have a hard time turning them over or turning them over.

If you try to cook with these pots, you will not be able to close the lid. This way, the steam will also rise and escape but not hot enough to cook the crabs.

You will also need a seafood cracker to be able to cook crab meat with lemon juice.

Step 2: Cook the Crab

First, pour a sufficient amount of water into the pot and bring it to a boil. Make sure the water is already boiling so that the heat output is high. If the water is not boiling enough, it will take time to cook again when you put the king crab legs in.

After the water has boiled, put the canned Crab meat in the crack and close the lid. Maybe when you put the frozen Crab meat in, it will dissipate the heat, causing the water to boil again.

Finally, wait about 5-7 minutes when the water boils again to make sure that the lump is crab meat cooked.

Step 3: Keep warm

After waiting 5-7 minutes, turn off the stove. Then you lift the crack out so that the Crab can drain.

However, it would be best if you still covered the lid to keep the crabs warm. If you do not remove the crack and leave it on the pot after turning off the stove, it will cause water retention.

Step 4: Pan-fry

In this step, use another pan or pot to do it. If your house doesn’t have a pot that can hold the number of frozen crab legs you prepared, you can empty the water and use the bank just now.

Use the right amount of butter and melt it. Once the butter has melted, pour in the drained crabs and stir well so the melted butter can cover the crabs.

You can also add some seasoning to this step to make the dish more flavorful with melted butter.

However, you need to be aware of the temperature when melting butter. If the temperature is too high, the butter will burn, or the butter will be dehydrated. Then you will have to start over, but you can’t continue to use this melted butter. 

Steamed crabs

Steamed crabs 

Steamed Crab is simple, but it’s not an easy dish if you don’t know how to make it. Many people also like steamed Crab because it preserves the sweetness of the canned Crab meat without being affected by other flavors.

Step 1: Prepare tools

You will need a pot large enough to fit both the steamer and your Crab. If your pot is too small, you may have to steam it several times. Thus, the first steamed crabs will be cold and fishy.

However, you can also use a plate or something as long as the Crab doesn’t touch the water and bottom of the pot. This way, you can save pot space and cook more crabs with melted butter.

Step 2: Steamed Crab

Place the crabs in the pot one by one. You need to be careful to place it carefully to not break the leg or break the frozen crab meat shell. After the water boils, cook for 15-20 minutes, then the Crab will be cooked. Cooking crab meat time can be shorter or longer depending on the size of the Crab you prepare.

Baked crabs

Baked crabs 

Grilled Crab will be another option if you do not like to eat steamed or greasy Crab like pan-fried. And this will be the answer to how to make crab meat on stove.

Step 1: Prepare the oven

Making grilled Crab will not require the size of the pot, so you won’t need to worry. However, not everyone has an oven to make this delicious grilled crab meat dish.

Preparing the oven is very simple. Preheat the oven to high for about 5-10 minutes before adding the Crab. So you have completed step 1.

Step 2: Prepare Crab

You can grill it whole or peeled for easier baking. Choosing whether to leave the skin or not will also affect the time and taste after baking. You can also refer to preparing imitation Crab meat in the video Cooking Tips: How to Prepare Crab.

If you’re leaving the shells on, be sure to clean the crabs before you put them in the oven. It would be best if you also had time for the crabs to drain completely. If the Crab is not dry, you can use a towel to absorb the water.

If you choose to split the imitation crab meat shell, it is also straightforward. You just need to use a knife or scissors and gently squeeze the crab shells to break them. All that remains is to separate the broken surface.

Step 3: Grill the Crab

After completing the preparation steps, place the crabs in the baking tray. Baking time will also be different for each type.

If you peel it, it only takes 5-7 minutes of crab meat. However, this time will have to be increased if you leave the baby whole. 

Related: How To Cut Salmon For Sushi

FAQs

Crab meat is a complex dish to cook, even for professional chefs in restaurants.

So if you don’t eat this dish often or cook imitation crab meat for the first time, you will indeed have many questions.

So Battersby has compiled some frequently asked questions for you right here.

How do you know the Crab is cooked?

Usually, if you buy frozen or pre-cooked Crab, it’s already cooked so that the storage can be longer. Cooked crab meat will be white and firmer than the original.

If you buy fresh crabs from the sea for processing, you can easily see the difference. The original crabs purchased will be blue-black.

However, after ripening or encountering high temperatures, its skin will change color red or orange. These crabs will need how to cook lump crab meat longer.

How to reheat Crab?

How to reheat Crab? 

Crab meat is a type of seafood, so if not processed properly, it will be fishy. The fishy smell of seafood will be even more pungent if you use cold Crab. So most people will reheat the Crab before enjoying it.

Reheating the Crab meat is very simple; you just need to do it like steamed Crab, but the waiting time will decrease because it is basically cooked.

If you don’t want to use a bulky steamer, you can still reheat the imitation crab meat in the microwave. 

This way, you put the Crab in the oven for about 10 minutes on medium heat.

Should crabs be cleaned before or after cooking?

This question usually only applies to live crab meat. Usually, frozen or processed crabs are clean first because this will help preserve them longer.

With raw crab meat, you need to clean them before cooking because there may be a lot of sand or bacteria in the crabs. If you do not wash carefully before cooking, it is not hygienic.

After cooking, especially when boiling, you may see dirty bubbles emerge. However, you need to scoop this foam out and don’t worry at all.

Conclusion

How to cook lump crab meat is an art that requires you to have cooking skills and knowledge. If you do not need sophisticated or particular dishes, this article can satisfy you.

Hopefully, with the above instructions, you can process crabs into delicious dishes. If you find this article interesting and valuable, save it for the next time you cook Crab.