20 minutes
To boil crab legs, simply fill a large saucepan half full of cold water and bring to a boil. Add a tablespoon of salt and the seasoning of your choice, if any. When the water begins to boil add the crab legs and reduce the heat to medium. Allow them to simmer for about six minutes. Place the crab legs in the pot on a rack over the boiling water. When the water starts to boil again, cover with a lid and cook for about six minutes or when they begin to omit a “cooked odor”, they should be ready to eat. Bring the water back to a boil and cook until the crabs start to float. Depending on the size of the crabs, this will happen in 10 to 15 minutes or so. Use tongs to remove the crabs and set them out until cool enough to handle. Put the crabs in a steamer basket or insert, or simply pile them into the pot and let the bottom crab or two boil slightly and act as a platform for the other crabs to steam. Cook 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the crabs. Only cook live crabs, because they deteriorate very quickly after they have expired. You can simply throw the crabs in a pot of boiling water to cook them. Depending on the size of the crabs, it will take between 6 and 10 minutes for them to cook thoroughly. If the crab is alive when you start, the amount of cooking time has very little to do with safety  it s more a question of whether the meat is underdone, overdone, or cooked just right.  Boil for about 18-20 minutes. Remove the crab from the pot and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking process and cool the shell for handling. Remove the abdomen with your fingers (also called the apron, it is the flap of shell on the underside of the crab).  Bring an inch of salt water to a boil in a large pot. Put the crabs in a steamer basket or insert, or simply pile them into the pot and let the bottom crab or two boil slightly and act as a platform for the other crabs to steam. Cook 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the crabs. Remove the steamer or pull the crabs out of the pot with tongs. However you cook the crabs, let them sit until cool enough to handle before you clean and serve them 1 A big pot, depending on how many crab you have to boil. 2  A pot, like the picture above, can hold 2 good size whole crab. 3  The picture below shows what I use when we catch a lot of crab. 4  It's an old canning pot and works great for getting a lot of crab boiled fast. 1 Carefully add the whole crab to the water. 2  Make sure the crabs are all covered in water. 3  Boil them until the shells turn red, for approximately 20 minutes counting time after the water comes back to a full boil. Plunge the live or frozen crabs into the boiling water with your long-handled tongs. Add all the crabs to the water and make sure they are covered. Place the lid on the pot and boil the crabs for 20 minutes. Smaller crabs may cook faster, in just 8 to 10 minutes. The crab is done when the shells turn bright orange or red. Remove the crab carefully with your tongs. Place them on a soft kitchen cloth to soak up some of the cooking water.  5. Drop in the crab legs and wait for the boiling liquid to return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high, and let the crab legs boil for 4 to 5 minutes for smaller varieties of crab, 7 to 8 for larger varieties, and up to 15 minutes for colossal. Remove from heat immediately. Remember, you're most likely not cooking them so much as reheating them.  Step 2: Add crab legs to the boiling water, bending and tucking the legs so as much of the legs are covered as possible in water. Return the water to boiling. Step 3: Cook the legs, uncovered, for 4 to 5 minutes or until heated through, adjusting occasionally with long tongs to make sure they heat evenly. Most crab legs are cooked and frozen on the fishing boat as soon as the crab is caught. This means they are usually sold frozen as well. 1  Look for crab legs that are fairly thick to ensure they will be meaty and easy to eat. 2  Avoid those with a lot of ice crystals or that look like they have been frozen for too long. Things You Will Need To Boil Crab. Before you know how to boil crab, there's a few things you should have handy... 1  A big pot, depending on how many crab you have to boil. 2  A pot, like the picture above, can hold 2 good size whole crab. 3  The picture below shows what I use when we catch a lot of crab. 1 Carefully add the whole crab to the water. 2  Make sure the crabs are all covered in water. 3  Boil them until the shells turn red, for approximately 20 minutes counting time after the water comes back to a full boil.
http://www.alaskankingcrab.com/pages/prepare http://localfoods.about.com/od/crab/qt/How-To-Cook-Crab.htm http://ochef.com/156.htm http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/crab/clean_prepare.html http://localfoods.about.com/od/crab/qt/How-To-Cook-Crab.htm http://www.crab-o-licious.com/how-to-boil-crab.html http://www.ehow.com/how_8175048_boil-crabs-cooking.html http://www.wikihow.com/Boil-Crab-Legs http://www.bhg.com/recipes/fish/basics/how-to-boil-crab-legs/ http://www.crab-o-licious.com/how-to-boil-crab.html
how long do you boil crab for