Sweet & Peppered Crab Legs

The original name of this dish from the Food Network magazine was called Spicy Peppered Crab Legs. Since these weren't really spicy & my 6yo boy even loved it, I wanted to give it a more fitting name. Now, let me get on to telling you how much I am in love with this dish.

For years I have been enjoying crab legs, whether out or at home, simply broiled then dipped into butter! So when I came across this recipe that prepared them in such a unique way I had to give it a try. My mom came over for dinner while Dad was away golfing with the boys & since she loves crab legs but doesn't have the patience to crack them, I knew these would be perfect.

My mom & I loved these!!! To top off my excitement of the success, Tristan ended up enjoying quite a few pieces of crab meat that I had picked off & handed to him without the sauce.

This is simply a MUST try. With a little Asian influence, the sauce is just perfect without overpowering & taking away from the sweet subtlety of the crab meat.

SWEET & PEPPERED CRAB LEGS

{ Printable Recipe Here }

3 pounds Alaskan king or snow crab legs, thawed if frozen
Freshly ground pepper
2 tblsp vegetable oil
1 stick unsalted butter, cubed
6 cloves garlic, chopped
10 thin slices peeled ginger
8 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
4 red or green jalapeno peppers, seeded & finely chopped
2 tsp sugar
2 tblsp oyster sauce
2 tblsp soy sauce
White rice, for serving

Pull a leg off the cluster (1). You will see it has 2 joints (2 & 3), one on each side. I like to remove these knobby little ends because the meat sticks to them when you crack open the leg. Also, break the claw (4) off then pull the pointy thing (5) out of the claw & discard.

You are now left with a thick leg, a claw & a skinnier leg. Depending on the size of the thick leg you can break it in half or just leave whole. You want 3-4 inch pieces. The skinny little leg doesn’t have much meat in it but just save them & add to the pot. Now, cut along the shell on each piece so the meat can easily be removed after cooking.

Place the remaining ingredients by the stove. Toast 2 tablespoons pepper in a small skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes; remove from the heat. Heat the vegetable oil & butter in a large Dutch oven or skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add the garlic, ginger, scallions & jalapenos; sprinkle with the sugar & cook, stirring, until the mixture is fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the crab pieces, oyster sauce & soy sauce.

Cook, tossing, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Scatter the toasted pepper on top & continue to cook, tossing, about 1 more minute. Transfer the crab & sauce to a bowl. Serve with rice.

{ Food for Thought }

First things first, this was not spicy. My 6yo even ate the meat with no problem.

I usually use the thinner snow crab legs since I find them easier to handle without all the sharp points that king crab has. Also, 4lbs = 9 clusters = 3 hungry people was a perfect equation. While I always pick from parts of the cluster when just serving crab legs with butter I didn’t use the clusters for this recipe nor did it call for it. It's up to you. Some people tend to say the clusters are fishy.

I was running late for this weeknight meal so I just used ground ginger & it was more than OK!

{ Linking Deliciously to Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays }