Alaska king crab
Photo: 鴻團長的餐桌 · CC BY-SA 2.0

History

The Bristol Bay red king crab fishery opens in October when stocks allow, with quotas set annually by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The Whale's Tail at Hotel Captain Cook and Crow's Nest stock king crab through winter, and Snow City Cafe's signature Kodiak Benedict pairs a king crab cake with poached eggs and hollandaise on an English muffin year-round.

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Common allergens: Shellfish

Make it at home

Yield 2Hands-on 15 minTotal 25 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 900g Alaska red king crab legs, thawed
  • 115g unsalted butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges
  • 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Flaky sea salt

Method

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a steady simmer.
  2. Place the king crab legs in the pot for 5-7 minutes if thawed; they are pre-cooked, so you are warming through.
  3. While the legs warm, melt the butter in a small saucepan with the minced garlic over low heat for 3-4 minutes; do not brown.
  4. Drain the legs and use kitchen shears to slit the underside of each shell.
  5. Pour the garlic butter into a serving bowl, scatter parsley and place lemon wedges alongside.
  6. Crack the legs at the table, dip the meat into the warm garlic butter and finish with flaky salt.

Tip from the editors. Frozen king crab legs are already cooked. The single biggest mistake is boiling them past warm-through and toughening the meat.

Where to eat alaska king crab

Alaska king crab in Anchorage

Crow's Nest ★ 4.6

$$$$ SeafoodDowntownChef Cameron Richardson

Crow's Nest is Anchorage fine dining: 20th floor of Hotel Captain Cook, sommelier-led wine programme and Chef Cameron Richardson driving Alaska seafood.

Book1-2 weeks ahead

Directions Book

The Whale's Tail ★ 4.6

$$ Cocktail barDowntownUntil 02:00 Fri-Sat; 23:00 Sun-Thu

The Whale's Tail at Hotel Captain Cook keeps its bar open until 02:00 Fri-Sat, with the Crow's Nest kitchen running small plates and champagne pours to 22:00.

TrySmall plates and by-the-glass champagne

Directions

Glacier BrewHouse ★ 4.3

$$ $18-28BrunchBrewpub weekend brunchDowntown

Glacier BrewHouse runs Sat-Sun brunch from 11:00-15:00 on 5th Avenue with alderwood-fired Alaska salmon, hollandaise and a house IPA on tap for the crowd.

OrderAlderwood-fired Alaska salmon with hollandaise and house IPA on tap

Directions

Snow City Cafe ★ 4.6

$$ $15-22BrunchDowntown breakfast institutionDowntown

Snow City Cafe has done the downtown Anchorage brunch line since 1998 on 4th Avenue. The Kodiak Benedict with king crab cake is the dish to order.

OrderKodiak Benedict with king crab cake on toasted English muffin

Directions

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