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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow
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Food and Entertaining
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Fish and Seafood
Crab
How to Open King Crab Legs Download ArticleExplore this Article IN THIS ARTICLE 1 Pick the leg up. 2 Find a joint and apply pressure. 3 Crack the leg open. 4 Extract the meat. 5 Repeat this process with the other legs. + Show 2 more... - Show less... Other Sections Questions & Answers Video Related Articles References 101 Recipe Ratings Reviewed by Chef Jeff Woodward
Last Updated: September 13, 2024
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This article was reviewed by Chef Jeff Woodward. Jeff Woodward is a Private Chef and the Owner of The Rogue Chef based in Branson, Missouri. With over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry, he has cooked for esteemed clients including The Harlem Globetrotters, Peyton Manning, Mark Wahlberg, and Justin Timberlake. Chef Jeff won the Branson Tri-Lakes News Reader's Choice Award 2023 for Best Catering. He has been the Featured Chef Demonstrator for 2 years in a row for The Women's Show in Springfield, MO. The Rogue Chef has been the Hollister Chamber of Commerce Spotlight Chef, an award published in Tri-Lakes News. Chef Jeff's food has been featured on KY3 Television. He publishes a recipe weekly in the Branson Globe newspaper and monthly in Lost on the Lake Magazine. He published a feature article for Chef Talks in Discover Home and Style Magazine. He has an associate’s degree from Southwestern Illinois College and a Culinary Arts degree with a Certification in Baking from Ozark Technical College. This article has been viewed 170,677 times.
Opening king crab legs is a cinch. Just a few simple steps and you’ll be digging out delicious crab meat in no time. While it’s easy to be intimidated by these hard-shelled crustaceans, there are a few easy ways to get to the good stuff without breaking a sweat. Read on to learn everything you need to know about opening king crab legs with ease.
Steps
1
Pick the leg up.
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Use both hands to lift the crab off of the table. King crab legs are the biggest, so you really may need both.
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Find a joint and apply pressure.
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You can apply pressure by hand or with a crab tool. You can even use a chopstick, fork, or the flat side of a knife if you prefer. Crab legs have four sections with three joints to break.[1]XResearch source (More to enjoy.)
A lot of people prefer to just use normal scissors. They can normally cut through a crab shell with no problem.[2]X Expert Source Chef Jeff WoodwardPrivate ChefExpert Interview
3
Crack the leg open.
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Run the crab zipper down the soft side of the shell to open it. Use one sweeping motion to open the leg. If you don’t have a zipper, use a fork or the sharp edge of a knife.[3]XResearch source
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Extract the meat.
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Reach inside of the leg and pull out the juicy meat. You can dip the crab in butter or cocktail sauce if you’d like.
5
Repeat this process with the other legs.
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Crack, rip, and remove the meat from the other crab legs. Use a crab zipper or crab cracker (nutcracker) for the smaller sections if needed.[4]XResearch source
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Question If boiling the crab legs, what else should I add to the water? Community Answer You do not need to add anything. I do add 1 tsp of salt for every quart of water if the shells on the legs have not been cut (look at the claws). If the legs have been cut, just steam them in as little water as possible. Adding anything will change the pure flavor. All crab legs have been cooked, so all you need to do is reheat them. Boiling or steaming them too long will make the shells soggy and difficult to crack. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 3 Helpful 9
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References
↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZVk8xesq3o
↑ Chef Jeff Woodward. Private Chef. Expert Interview
↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX2EBN350T8
↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xruvL7T20Kw
About This Article
Reviewed by: Chef Jeff Woodward Private Chef This article was reviewed by Chef Jeff Woodward. Jeff Woodward is a Private Chef and the Owner of The Rogue Chef based in Branson, Missouri. With over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry, he has cooked for esteemed clients including The Harlem Globetrotters, Peyton Manning, Mark Wahlberg, and Justin Timberlake. Chef Jeff won the Branson Tri-Lakes News Reader's Choice Award 2023 for Best Catering. He has been the Featured Chef Demonstrator for 2 years in a row for The Women's Show in Springfield, MO. The Rogue Chef has been the Hollister Chamber of Commerce Spotlight Chef, an award published in Tri-Lakes News. Chef Jeff's food has been featured on KY3 Television. He publishes a recipe weekly in the Branson Globe newspaper and monthly in Lost on the Lake Magazine. He published a feature article for Chef Talks in Discover Home and Style Magazine. He has an associate’s degree from Southwestern Illinois College and a Culinary Arts degree with a Certification in Baking from Ozark Technical College. This article has been viewed 170,677 times. 101 votes - 87% Co-authors: 5Updated: September 13, 2024 Views: 170,677 Categories: Crab In other languages Italian Russian Spanish
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Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Reviewed by: Chef Jeff Woodward Private Chef Co-authors: 5Updated: September 13, 2024 Views: 170,67787% of voters found this recipe helpful. 101 votes - 87% Click a star to add your vote
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Download Article Explore this Article IN THIS ARTICLE 1 Pick the leg up. 2 Find a joint and apply pressure. 3 Crack the leg open. 4 Extract the meat. 5 Repeat this process with the other legs. + Show 2 more... - Show less... Other Sections Questions & Answers Video Related Articles References 101 Recipe Ratings Reviewed by Chef Jeff Woodward 
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Reviewed by: Chef Jeff Woodward Private Chef This article was reviewed by Chef Jeff Woodward. Jeff Woodward is a Private Chef and the Owner of The Rogue Chef based in Branson, Missouri. With over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry, he has cooked for esteemed clients including The Harlem Globetrotters, Peyton Manning, Mark Wahlberg, and Justin Timberlake. Chef Jeff won the Branson Tri-Lakes News Reader's Choice Award 2023 for Best Catering. He has been the Featured Chef Demonstrator for 2 years in a row for The Women's Show in Springfield, MO. The Rogue Chef has been the Hollister Chamber of Commerce Spotlight Chef, an award published in Tri-Lakes News. Chef Jeff's food has been featured on KY3 Television. He publishes a recipe weekly in the Branson Globe newspaper and monthly in Lost on the Lake Magazine. He published a feature article for Chef Talks in Discover Home and Style Magazine. He has an associate’s degree from Southwestern Illinois College and a Culinary Arts degree with a Certification in Baking from Ozark Technical College. This article has been viewed 170,677 times. 101 votes - 87% Co-authors: 5 Updated: September 13, 2024 Views: 170,677 Categories: Crab In other languages Italian Russian Spanish 
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Use both hands to lift the crab off of the table. King crab legs are the biggest, so you really may need both. Advertisement 
Community Answer You do not need to add anything. I do add 1 tsp of salt for every quart of water if the shells on the legs have not been cut (look at the claws). If the legs have been cut, just steam them in as little water as possible. Adding anything will change the pure flavor. All crab legs have been cooked, so all you need to do is reheat them. Boiling or steaming them too long will make the shells soggy and difficult to crack. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 3 Helpful 9 
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