Making crab legs at home is so easy, and it’s a lot less expensive than ordering crab legs at a fancy restaurant. I’ll show you how to make super flavorful, great tasting crab legs using the steam function on your Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker in about 15 minutes.
Crab legs are one of my all time favorite things to eat. I keep extra in the freezer so that I can make them anytime I want. Since I first started cooking crab legs at home several years ago, I don’t think I’ve ordered them at a restaurant since. They are incredibly easy to make at home!
This recipe was made using the Ninja® Foodi® PossibleCooker™ PRO.
In the United States, snow crabs are sold pre-cooked and are usually frozen, or thawed from frozen, at the grocery store. The snow crab legs are not raw when purchased in the United States, they are already cooked. This can be confusing since almost everything can be bought raw at the grocery store. If the snow crab legs are orange and white in color, they are already cooked. All you need to do is reheat, crack, and dip in butter! So, the question is, what’s the best way to reheat them?
There are several methods that you can use to reheat crab legs, including steaming, grilling, pressure cooking, boiling in a large pot, and baking in the oven. One of the easiest ways is through steaming them. The crab legs do not dry out or get soggy and they retain all of the great crab flavor. It’s also pretty easy to add a little extra flavor by seasoning the water that is used for steaming and by sprinkling extra seasonings on top.
Crab legs are the perfect appetizer, side dish, or main course. We usually eat the crab legs as the main course since we love them so much! Technically, a serving size is about 1 cluster or 3 ounces. But, if you ask me, that’s just not enough crab! So, I made this recipe based on a ½ pound serving per person, which is about 3 clusters. Clusters vary in size…sometimes they have more meat in the knuckle or have lost a leg during the packing process. So, adjust the number of clusters based on your own preferences.
Tips for making Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker Crab Legs:
In the US crab legs are already cooked when you buy them at the grocery store. All you need to do is reheat them. Since they are already cooked, reheating them only takes a few minutes. You can steam, grill, bake, boil, or pressure cook them. Just be sure not to heat them for too long or they can become waterlogged, soggy, or dried out, based on the method of reheating.
A serving of crab legs is about 3 ounces or 1 cluster. But, that can vary based on whether you are serving the snow crab legs as an appetizer, side dish, or main course. We usually eat about 3 clusters, per person, as a meal.
Yes, you can eat the knuckle meat on snow crab legs. There’s usually a lot of meat in the knuckle but it does take some effort to get it out. We usually eat the legs first and then take all of the meat out of the knuckles and eat that at the end. You’ll be surprised how much meat there is! All you need to do is gently separate the soft shell and remove the chunks of crab meat. Be carefully not to get any pieces of the shell with the meat. The shell is softer on the knuckle but you still don’t want to eat it.
Crab legs do not do well as leftovers. But, if you do have leftovers, I recommending removing all of the meat from the shells and storing the crab meat in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Make sure it’s tightly sealed otherwise everything in your refrigerator will stink of crab for days. I like to use the leftovers to make crab cakes.
Snow crab is easy to find and can be reasonably priced. However, it can be a lot of work to get the crab meat out of the legs and due to the smaller size of the legs and the amount of meat that they provide, you will need more crab legs per person than if you were to serve king crab legs. King crab legs are very sweet and incredibly meaty. King crab legs are very expensive and much larger than snow crab legs. The high price per pound and the size of the king crab legs makes them great for special occasions but too expensive to have on a regular basis. If snow crab and king crab were the same price, I’d pick king crab legs every time!
Ingredient substitutions for making Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker Pro Crab Legs:
The full ingredient list is found at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
Snow Crab Legs (Frozen or thawed)- About 1 cluster per person for an appetizer or side dish and about 3 crab leg clusters per person as a main course.
Garlic (Minced)- Fresh or jarred garlic
Lemon (Sliced)- I like to slice the lemons but you can cut them into lemon wedges or use lemon juice if you prefer.
Seafood Seasoning-I use no salt Tony Chachere’s but you can use Old Bay seasoning or any other seafood seasoning that you would like.
Butter (Melted-Salted)- I always use salted butter to dip seafood in. But, if you prefer you can use unsalted or use clarified butter or garlic butter sauce instead.
Directions for making Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker Crab Legs:
- Turn the Ninja Foodi Possible Pot Pro on STEAM for 15 minutes for thawed crab legs and 20 minutes for frozen crab legs. Actual cooking time will vary based on the size of the crab, the amount of crab, and the temperature of the crab.
- Pour 4 cups of water into the main pot.
- Place a roasting rack into the pot. The rack should stick out of the water. You do not want to submerge the crab legs in the water. Instead, you want to steam them above the water.
- Add the minced garlic and lemon slices to the bottom of the pot-under the rack and put the lid on the pot.
- When the pot has finished pre-heating, remove the lid and place the crab legs on the rack.
- Sprinkle the crab legs with seafood seasoning.
- Put the lid back on the pot and steam for 10-20 minutes. Frozen crab legs take a few extra minutes to steam. Thawed crab legs should be warm after about 10 minutes and frozen crab legs should be warm after about 15 minutes. The steaming time will vary based on the temperature of the crab legs when added to the pot, the size of the crab legs, and the quantity of crab legs used.
- If you are steaming thawed crab legs, remove the lid after about 10 minutes and check to see if the crab legs are warm throughout. For frozen crab legs, check them after about 15 minutes. Do so by breaking off a small leg and cracking it. If they are not warm throughout, steam for a few more minutes.
- Serve with melted butter and enjoy! Be sure to use a crab cracker and small fork to get the meat out of the crab legs.
Pin Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker Pro Steamed Crab Legs for later!
Recipe
Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker Steamed Crab Legs
Rate this Recipe Print Recipe Pin RecipeEquipment
- 1 Roasting Rack
Ingredients
- 4 Cups (946 ⅓ ml) Water
- 2 Pounds (907 ⅕ g) Snow Crab Legs (Frozen or thawed)
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Garlic (Minced)
- ½ (½) Lemon (Sliced)
- 1 Teaspoon (1 Teaspoon) Seafood Seasoning
- ¼ Cup (56 ¾ g) Butter (Melted-Salted)
Instructions
- Turn the Ninja Foodi Possible Pot Pro on STEAM for 15 minutes for thawed crab legs and 20 minutes for frozen crab legs. Actual cooking time will vary based on the size of the crab, the amount of crab, and the temperature of the crab.
- Pour 4 cups of water into the main pot.
- Place a roasting rack into the pot. The rack should stick out of the water. You do not want to submerge the crab legs in the water. Instead, you want to steam them above the water.
- Add the minced garlic and lemon slices to the bottom of the pot, under the rack and put the lid on the pot.
- When the pot has finished pre-heating, remove the lid and place the crab legs on the rack.
- Sprinkle the crab legs with seafood seasoning.
- Put the lid back on the pot and steam for 10-20 minutes. Frozen crab legs take a few extra minutes to steam. Thawed crab legs should be warm after about 10 minutes and frozen crab legs should be warm after about 15 minutes. The steaming time will vary based on the temperature of the crab legs when added to the pot, the size of the crab legs, and the quantity of crab legs used.
- If you are steaming thawed crab legs, remove the lid after about 10 minutes and check to see if the crab legs are warm throughout. For frozen crab legs, check them after about 15 minutes. Do so by breaking off a small leg and cracking it. If they are not warm throughout, steam for a few more minutes.
- Serve with melted butter and enjoy! Be sure to use a crab cracker and small fork to get the meat out of the crab legs.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Optional ingredients are not included in the nutrition information.
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