Cooking Crab Legs to Perfection with the Can Cooker

Crab legs are a delicious and impressive seafood dish. With their sweet, succulent meat and fun cracking required to get to it, crab legs make a great meal. But cooking crab legs can be intimidating. How do you ensure they come out tender, flaky, and full of flavor without over or undercooking? This is where the versatile Can Cooker comes in. The Can Cooker steams food gently and evenly, making it the ideal tool for cooking foolproof crab legs

In this article, we’ll cover how to cook crab legs in the Can Cooker, can cooker crab leg recipes, seasoning and sauce ideas, and pro tips for cracking and enjoying crab legs With the Can Cooker, you’ll be serving restaurant-quality crab legs at home

Benefits of Using the Can Cooker for Crab Legs

The Can Cooker offers several advantages when cooking crab legs:

• Even steaming: The enclosed environment allows steam to circulate evenly around the crab legs, cooking them through without any over or underdone spots.

• Temperature control: On the stovetop, the Can Cooker makes it easy to maintain a steady temperature ideal for gently steaming. No need to worry about boiling over or scorching.

• Mess containment: Steaming contains splatters and aromas. Cleanup is easy since cooking happens in the Can Cooker vessel.

• Quick cooking: The Can Cooker steams crab legs in only 10-15 minutes. Much faster than boiling or baking.

• Versatility: The Can Cooker can also be used on grills, campfires, and other heat sources to steam crab legs anywhere.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Cooking Crab Legs

Cooking crab legs in the Can Cooker takes just a few easy steps:

1. Prepare the Crab Legs

Rinse fresh crab legs under cold water and use kitchen shears to snip off any rubber bands around the clusters. Check for any cracked or broken shells and remove them. If pre-cooked frozen legs, thaw using the refrigerator overnight method.

2. Preheat the Can Cooker

Add 1-2 inches of water to the Can Cooker. For flavor, you can add seasonings, lemon juice, seafood stock, or wine to the water. Place on stovetop over high heat until steaming.

3. Add the Crab Legs

Once steaming, carefully add the crab legs to the Can Cooker and latch the lid securely. Use tongs to stack and arrange legs evenly.

4. Steam the Crab Legs

Steam the crab legs for 10-15 minutes depending on size. Remove from heat once the shells turn bright orange.

5. Rest and Serve

Let the crab legs rest for 5 minutes in the Can Cooker before removing. Serve hot with melted butter, lemon wedges, and your favorite sauces for dipping.

Recipes and Flavorings for Crab Legs

The Can Cooker allows you to infuse your crab legs with lots of flavor. Try these recipes:

• Old Bay Seasoning, lemon, and garlic – An easy homemade seasoning blend
• Crab boil with sausage, corn, and potatoes – A southern classic
• Garlic herb butter – Melted over served crab for dunking
• Wine and butter – Use white wine and tarragon in the cooker water
• Lemon pepper – Zesty yet simple to season the crab
• Chili lime butter – For a southwestern kick
• Cajun seasoning – The Can Cooker’s signature Creole blend adds robust flavor

Get creative with rubs, herbs, spices, and compound butters. The Can Cooker seals in every bit of flavor.

Can Cooker Tips for Perfect Crab Legs

Here are some top tips for succeeding with crab legs in the Can Cooker:

• Quickly get the Can Cooker up to a steaming temperature and don’t overload it to maintain even heat.
• Resist opening the lid until time is up to allow steam to properly penetrate the shells.
• Use a thermometer to check doneness; crab should reach 145°F.
• Let the crab legs rest before eating so the meat can finish cooking gently.
• Provide crab crackers, hammers, and picks to help people access the meat and suck out flavorful juices.

Master the Art of Cracking Crab Legs

Cracking open hot crab legs takes some technique. Follow these steps:

• Twist off the legs and flippers from the main body cluster.
• Use a mallet or cracker to hit the top side of the shell at the joints, cracking it open.
• Peel back the shell sections carefully to remove large pieces of meat.
• Use a pick to scoop out remaining meat and for sucking juices.
• For knuckles, crack the thin shell and peel it back, then suck out meat.

Go slow until you get the hang of cracking legs cleanly. Provide bibs and moist towelettes for the inevitable juicy mess. Now enjoy your tender, succulent meat!

Favorite Ways to Serve Crab Legs

Beyond just steaming, consider these tasty ways to serve your Can Cooker crab legs:

• Crab leg salad with mango, avocado, and citrus dressing
• Stir fry with noodles, veggies, and ginger-soy sauce
• Stuffed into tacos or tostadas with salsa and lime
• Mixed into creamy pasta or risotto for luxe seafood flavor
• Piled high on crusty bread for open-faced crab sandwiches
• Sprinkled on top of baked potatoes instead of bacon
• Tossed in butter and breadcrumb bakes or gratins

However you choose to serve them, crab legs cooked in the Can Cooker never disappoint. This simple, flavorful steaming method lets the sweet taste of the crab shine. Dip the meat in lemon butter, sprinkle with Old Bay, or get creative with globally inspired sauces. A Can Cooker crab leg feast delivers a mouthwatering, satisfying meal.