Fried Crab Legs Recipe
Crabmeat is one of the most moorish protein sources around. Today we’re showing you how you can cook them with a delicious seasoned and fried breading that will give you a perfectly crunchy and golden brown finish.
Equipment
- 3 Bowls
- 1 Skillet (or dutch oven)
- 1 lobster pick (optional)
Ingredients
- 3 Alaskan King Crab Legs (or snow crabs)
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 and 1/2 tsp old bay seasoning divided
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper divided
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Start with extracting the meat from the crab's legs, there is a special tool for this called a 'lobster pick' which allows easy extraction of the meat. But don't worry if you don't have one, you can simply use a carving fork, or even a regular fork if that's all you have.
- Clean the now extracted crab meat with water and set it down on a paper towel. Fold the towel over and press down gently to absorb the water on the top. We need the meat as dry as possible for frying.
- Now we'll prepare the batter for frying. Take 3 large bowls and add 2 eggs along with 2 tablespoons of water. Stir thoroughly until they have completely combined.
- Using the second bowl, we need to combine all the seasonings. This includes the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon of old bay seasoning, and 1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
- Using the third bowl, add the panko bread crumbs together with all the remaining cayenne and old bay seasonings. Give it a quick mix to ensure even distribution and set it aside.
- At this stage, we can start to heat the oil. Place a generous amount of vegetable oil in a dutch oven or deep frying pan. Keep an eye on it and ensure it doesn't get too hot, we're looking for around 350-375°F before it's ready.
- While the oil is heating we can bread the crab legs. Begin by coating them with the flour mixture and seasonings. Give them a gentle shake to remove the excess. Ensure the whole thing is completely covered before moving on.
- Now dip them in the egg mixture, the easiest way to do this is by holding the end between your index finger and thumb and gently laying one side down in the bowl, then lift it up and flip it over giving it a second dip to coat the other side.Let any excess egg drip off before moving on.
- Cover the crab legs with the breadcrumbs next, gently pat the breadcrumbs onto them to help the bread to stick, and bind to the coated meat.Something people like to do is 'double dip' when they fry things with breading on, which means to return the legs to the egg a second time and then bread it again. This yields a thicker outer crust. Just remember you might need to scale the ingredients up a bit to accommodate this.
- Place the legs into the oil and fry them. Do this by pinching one end and lowering them slowly into the pan away from you, this helps reduce any oil splashing that might otherwise come your way.Flip them every 2 minutes until the entire coating is a nice, golden brown color.
- Once finished place them on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.They are now ready to serve with your favorite sides and sauces!
Nutrition
Calories: 170kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 3gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 310mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 2g
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