How To Buy The Freshest, Best Quality Crab Legs Like A Pro

Although we wish we could afford to consume them on a weekly basis, crab legs are a treat usually reserved for celebrations or an epic seafood tray. You may be tempted to purchase the entire crab, but most of the good meat is located in the long, thick legs, depending on the type of crab. In an effort to bring home the best when shopping for succulent crab legs, we spoke with Kory Foltz, Director of Culinary at Sunseeker Resort in Florida, to get the scoop on how to buy crab legs like a professional chef.

There are some key signs to keep an eye out for when seeking out high-quality crab legs. "Fresh crab legs should have a clean, salty ocean smell — not that overpowering fishy odor," he said. After having a sniff, pay close attention to the shells; they should be "firm, shiny, and free of cracks," an indicator that the legs were handled with care rather than being recklessly tossed around. Next on the check list is color. "[A] bright, vibrant color also means they were likely frozen at peak freshness," Foltz explains. Unless you reside in Alaska, the west coast of Canada, or the Pacific Northwest, it's likely that the crabs legs will have been frozen for transport, but there's nothing wrong with that. Once you've selected beautifully frozen legs, make sure you know how to thaw frozen crab legs for the best results.

When peering into the seafood display, you might notice that some crabs have small black spots on the shells; Foltz assures us not to worry about them. "These spots don't affect the quality or flavor of the crab meat inside, so no need to worry," he says. "Consider it just a bit of character from the crab's ocean adventures." The spots are often merely imperfections in the shell, caused by "exposure to sea elements like barnacles," which are common in ocean life and generally harmless. If for some reason you ever see a tiny barnacle still attached to a crab leg, fear not, as you only eat the meat inside of the shell which is unaffected by the outside barnacle. Not unlike freckles, moles, or small scars on humans, these are marks from the crab's life, not indicators of spoilage.

After you've selected and brought home your crustacean bounty, it's imperative to have the proper tools to get the most meat from the legs. Many people will use heavy lobster cracking tools, but the best hack for removing crab meat from the legs is to use simple kitchen shears. One of our favorite ways to enjoy top-quality crab legs is to keep it simple by not getting fancy with the preparation so you can best savor the fresh ocean flavor of the crab, like in this recipe for steamed crab legs with garlic butter sauce.