Grill in Foil: Garlic Shrimp and Gnocchi

A couple months ago the Food Network Magazine and a little booklet insert with 50 recipes for grilling in foil. I thought these would make awesome summer friendly recipes, so I decided to try the two most delicious sounding recipes: Garlic Shrimp and Gnocchi. Both turned out amazing, and instead of grilling them on the grill, we actually just did them in the oven! It was so much fun to make it this way, and the kids loved it too! Here is a "how to" on making the perfect foil packet:

How to make a foil packet:
1. Lay a large sheet of heavy-duty foil or a double layer of regular foil on a flat surface. (Use nonstick foil where noted.)
2. Put the ingredients in the center of the foil. Bring the short ends of the foil together and fold twice to seal; fold in the sides to seal, leaving room for steam. Grill as directed. (Each recipe serves 2 to 4.)

Garlic Shrimp

Mix 1/2 stick softened butter, 1 cup chopped parsley, 2 chopped garlic cloves, and salt and pepper. Toss with the juice of 1 lemon, 1 pound unpeeled large shrimp and a big pinch of red pepper flakes. Divide between 2 foil packets. Grill over high heat, 8 minutes.

Gnocchi 

Spread a 17-ounce package gnocchi in one layer on a sheet of foil. Top with 1 cup tomato sauce and some basil. Form a packet. Grill over high heat, 12 minutes.

Fish and Chips

I love fish and chips (or chips and fish). I never really thought much about making it at home. I have made fried fish before, but not battered like you get at a restaurant. I watched an episode of Alton Browns Good Eats and watched him make it, and it looked SO EASY! And it was easy, and it was seriously delicious, like restaurant delicious. The key I believe is the beer. Now I do not drink any alcohol, so buying a can of beer at the grocery store was very awkward and uncomfortable. Then of course I had to show my ID, the whole process was very shameful. It was so worth it though so I am totally going to do it again!

Fish and Chips 

For the fries:

1 gallon safflower oil
4 large Russet potatoes
Kosher salt

For the batter:

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Dash Old Bay Seasoning
1 bottle brown beer, cold
1 1/2 pounds firm-fleshed whitefish (tilapia, pollock, cod), cut into 1-ounce strips
Cornstarch, for dredging

Directions

Heat oven to 200 degrees F.

Heat the safflower oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over high heat until it reaches 320 degrees.
Using a V-slicer with a wide blade, slice the potatoes with the skin on. Place in a large bowl with cold water.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and Old Bay seasoning. Whisk in the beer until the batter is completely smooth and free of any lumps. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Note: The batter can be made up to 1 hour ahead of time.
Drain potatoes thoroughly, removing any excess water. When oil reaches 320 degrees, submerge the potatoes in the oil. Working in small batches, fry for 2 to 3 minutes until they are pale and floppy. Remove from oil, drain, and cool to room temperature.
Increase the temperature of the oil to 375 degrees. Re-immerse fries and cook until crisp and golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and drain on roasting rack. Season with kosher salt while hot and hold in the oven.
Allow oil to return to 350 degrees. Lightly dredge fish strips in cornstarch. Working in small batches, dip the fish into batter and immerse into hot oil. When the batter is set, turn the pieces of fish over and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Drain the fish on the roasting rack. Serve with malt vinegar.

Surimi Rolls

The cooking bug is finally back! After my baby was born at the beginning of May I have not been in the mood to cook, think about cooking, or blogging about cooking. However, it's baaaaack! I have made so many fun recipes these past few weeks so get ready for some delicious posts.

One night I was going through some of my old recipes I had torn out of magazines when I found this recipe for Surumi Rolls. It is from the August 2009 Family Circle recipe, titled as a no-cook supper which definitely caught my eye! This is a great recipe for summer, and it is great for those days where you don't feel like cooking, but want something delicious to eat.

Now what the heck is surimi? Surimi is basically imitation crab. It is usually made with pollack and then is flavored with crab, shrimp and lobster, then pre-cooked. You can find it in the freezer section of the grocery store, and is usually labeled "imitation crab"

Surimi Rolls

1 lb imitation crab meat (surimi), chopped or shredded
3/4 cup chopped celery
4 tsp chopped tarragon
1 tbs dijon mustard
1 tbs olive oil
8 hot dog buns (please do not use your run of the mill hot dog buns, get the fresh bakery kind that you have to slice open)

In a large bowl, mix together the imitation crab, the mayo, celery, tarragon, mustard and olive oil until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. To serve spoon a generous half cup of the crab mixture into each bun. We found that slathering your bun with yellow mustard, topping the crab mixture with black pepper and adding some green leafy lettuce makes it even more excellent!

Fried Tilapia

Tilapia is a great (and cheap) white fish. It does not have a super fishy flavor, and kids love it. I enjoy trying out new tilapia recipes, so this is another one to add!

Fried Tilapia

1/4 c flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1/4 c mayonaise
1 tsp old bay seasoning
4 tilapia fillets
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter

Place flour and cornmeal in separate shallow bowls. Whisk mayonnaise and old bay seasoning in a small bowl. Dip one fillet in flour; shake off excess. Brush both sides of fillet with mayonnaise, then dip in cornmeal, shaking off excess. Place on waxed-paper-lined baking sheet; repeat with remaining fillets. Heat large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil, then butter. Add fillets and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn and cook another 5 minutes.

Chipotle Shrimp with Broiled Asparagus

I love finding new recipes for shrimp. Our family can really put down the shrimp, so I always make sure to make a lot! This recipe is great because it can be easily doubled, and it is very easy. I served it with crusty bread and broiled asparagus.

Chipotle Shrimp
from May 2009 Real Simple


1 1/2 lbs shrimp peeled and deveined
1/2 tsp ground chipotle chilies or chicle powder
salt and pepper to taste
(since we are mass producing jalapenos from our garden, I also threw in a couple seeded and chopped jalapenos)

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook the shrimp until opaque throughout, 2-3 minutes per side.


Broiled Asparagus

1 lb asparagus, trimmed
salt and pepper
olive oil for brushing

Turn oven on the a low broil (if you don't have that option, just turn the broiler on and reduce the cooking time). Lay trimmed (just cut off the ends) asparagus on a baking sheet, and brush with olive oil. Them, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set in broiler for 5-8 minutes, watching closely. Remove when asparagus tips begin to blacken.

Panko-Crusted Tilapia

I found my new favorite tilapia recipe. It was very easy, took me about 5 minutes from start to finish. Even better, I bought enough tilapia to feed my family for $2.50. Although it was cheap, this recipe is restaurant quality.

Tilapia is a white fish found at most supermarket seafood counters. It does not have that "fishy" taste, so a lot of people like it.

Panko bread crumbs are a Japanese style bread crumb. It is lighter and flakier then other styles of bread crumbs. Panko bread crumbs can either be found next to the regular bread crumbs, or sometimes in the Asian food section

Panko-Crusted Tilapia  
adapted from February 09 Family Circle

4   U.S. farm-raised tilapia fillets, about 5 ounces each

1/2 cup  Italian-seasoned panko bread crumbs (I did not have Italian seasoned bread crumbs, so I just mixed in some Italian seasoning into my bread crumbs)

1/2 teaspoon  salt

1/4 teaspoon  black pepper

  Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a broiler-safe baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place tilapia fillets in pan, skin-side down, and coat lightly with cooking spray. Season fish with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and black pepper. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons panko crumbs over each fillet. Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes. Turn up oven to broil. Run fillets under broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, until browned and crisp.

Crab Wantons

This is another recipe using wanton skins. I like to make this the same month as the taco wantons, so I do not let any of the skins go to waste! This is another family favorite, mostly because it is deep fried. If you are not a fish eater, I bet you will like these. The crab is more of just a filler item, you may not even realize it is there!

Crab Wantons

1 pkg cream cheese
1/2 lb crab meat (I use two 6 oz cans)
2 TBSP Parmesan cheese
1 chopped scallion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg
wanton skins
oil for frying

Heat oil to 375. Combine cream cheese, crab meat, Parmesan cheese, scallion and garlic in a bowl with an electric mixer. When combined, season with salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and 1 tbsp water. Place about 1 tbsp crab mixture in the center of the wanton, fold in half into a triangle, brush with egg and repeat with remaining filling. Fry in batches for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. Let drain on a paper towel. Serve with Thai chili dipping sauce.

Almond Crusted Mahi Mahi with Zucchini Coins

I know I have mentioned this already, but we love seafood at our house. I have been trying to  branch out from the same-old same-old, so when I saw Mahi Mahi on sale at the store I knew I had to get it.

I have never cooked Mahi Mahi before, so I went to my go to guy: Alton Brown. The original recipe calls for Macadamia Nuts, but I didn't have them, so I used almonds instead. It turned out great, and I think I need to buy Mahi Mahi more often. This is a great light summer recipe too!

I paired the Mahi Mahi with zucchini coins pan fried in olive oil, salt and pepper.

Almond Crusted Mahi Mahi
adapted from Alton Brown

5 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) coarsely ground almonds
1/2 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for brushing foil
4 (6 to 8-ounce) mahi mahi fillets
Kosher salt and pepper
2 tablespoons coconut milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a medium bowl, stir together the nuts, panko, flour, and butter. Set aside.

Place a piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet and brush it liberally with vegetable oil. Place the mahi mahi on the foil and sprinkle each fillet with salt and pepper on both sides. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush each fillet with the coconut milk. Divide the nut mixture among the tops of the 4 fillets, patting the mixture to spread and adhere to the fillets. Return to the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to stand 10 minutes before serving. 

Crispy Cornmeal Shrimp and Lemon Rice

Sorry. no picture this time. Along with Salmon, shrimp is another food we love to eat! There are so many different shrimp recipes, it is hard to make the same one again. However, this one was very easy and delicious, so I may have to try it again soon. I served it with lemon rice, and it was the perfect accompaniment.

Crispy Cornmeal Shrimp

¼ cup flour 

¼ cup cornmeal 

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

1 pound raw peeled and deveined medium or large shrimp

2 beaten eggs

 In a bowl, whisk together ¼ cup flour, ¼ cup cornmeal, and 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning. Dip 1 pound raw peeled and deveined medium or large shrimp in 2 beaten eggs, then coat in the cornmeal mixture. In a skillet, cook the shrimp in ½ inch of canola oil until golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Dip in tartar sauce or your favorite dipping sauce. Serve with lemon rice.

 

Salmon Tacos

This is the other meal we had with our blackened salmon. I really enjoy this recipe because it is so different then other fish tacos!

I also learned something new. I love buying those little corn tortillas, but I never was able to get them to cook right so they wouldn't tear when you used them. I finally looked it up online and learned that you need to cook them in warm oil for a few seconds,just until they are soft, but not crunchy. This is not healthy at all, but it makes them so delicious, and you can fill up your taco without the tortilla ripping!

Salmon Tacos

 

1 lb salmon, skinned and cut into one inch cubes
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 limes, quartered
2 (8 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained (like Rotel)
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 bunch green onion, chopped 

 

Toss cubed salmon in cumin and chili powder. Set aside. Heat large skillet over medium and cook yellow onion 2 minutes, until it begins to soften. Turn heat up to medium high. Add salmon to skillet. Lightly sear salmon cubes for about 2-3 minutes, turning gently (don't break the salmon into pieces!).  Do not over cook the salmon. This juicy recipe will keep steaming the salmon. The salmon should still be firm in the middle of the cube when you proceed to the next step.(If you chose to pre-cook your salomn like I did, do not add the salmon in until the very end, right before you are ready to serve it). Return heat setting to medium. Add canned tomatoes and chilies, cilantro and green onions. Gently incorporate and heat through.
Squeeze quartered limes over the salmon mixture, give it a quick stir, and plate up the salmon (I usually drain a little liquid off at this point). Serve with warm flour or corn tortillas, salsa, sour cream, sliced avocado, black beans and lettuce.

Salmon Salad

For all my faithful blog readers (all two of you) I apologize for my lack of posts! No excuses here, just pure laziness. I have been good about taking pictures of my meals though, so my goal is to write a bunch of posts to make up for it all!

We love salmon  in all it's forms. We tend to just fry it up and eat it, but every once and a while we like to mix it up. I like to buy fresh salmon at Costco, and either freeze it, or use it right away. This time around I decided to cook it all at once, then use it for two different meals.To cook it, we covered it in blackening seasoning and then fried it in some oil. We have found the best way to cook salmon inside is to heat the oil over medium high heat on the stove. Add the salmon to the pan, and turn the heat to medium. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Flip the salmon and then cover and cook for 5 more minutes. It comes out perfect!

This is a fun salmon salad recipe. Using the pre-cooked salmon (or canned as it says in the recipe) it makes for a quick and easy meal! To make it even better, serve it on top of crusty french bread.

Salmon Salad

2 (7 ounce) cans salmon, drained (or 14 oz of your pre-cooked salmon)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt

1 cup chopped celery

2 tablespoons capers

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

8 leaves lettuce

 

	Crumble the salmon into a 1 quart bowl, removing any bones or skin.
	In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, celery, capers and pepper. Mix well and then add to salmon and toss. Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves.

 

Fantastic Fish Tacos

I love fish tacos, I like to get them when we go out to eat. I have made them a few times at home, but I used frozen fish sticks (gross, I know). I was very excited to find this recipe in our church cook book for Fantastic Fish Tacos. I took me a while to make them, partly because I could not find orange roughy. I finally found it at Smith's. Now that I know what it looks like and taste like, I think any white, mild fish would work well for this recipe. I will for sure be making these again.

 

Fantastic Fish Tacos

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons fat-free milk
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons salt-free lemon-pepper seasoning
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon water
1 pound orange roughy fillets, cut into 1-inch strips
4 corn tortillas (6 inches), warmed
1 cup coleslaw mix
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lime juice and milk; cover and refrigerate until serving. In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs and lemon-pepper. In another shallow bowl, combine egg and water. Dip fish in egg mixture, then roll in crumbs. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook fish over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until it flakes easily with a fork. Spoon onto tortillas; top with coleslaw mix, tomatoes, cheese and cilantro. Drizzle with mayonnaise mixture.

Shrimp Dipping Sauce

We love to by the breaded butterfly shrimp at costco. You can just throw them in the oven or the deep fryer, and we all fight over them. I have found an awesome dipping sauce for them (or for any kind of shrimp). It is a little like cocktail sauce, and a little like fry sauce, perfect for shrimp!


Shrimp Dipping Sauce

3/4 c mayonaise
1/3 c ketchup
1 tbsp horseradish
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/4 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together, cover and refrigerate until use.

Pan Fried Salmon with Avocado Dipping Sauce

We love salmon at our house. This is our go to salmon recipe. Simple, easy, and delicious!

Pan Fried Salmon with Avocado Dipping Sauce

2 Avocados- peeled, pitted, and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp yogurt or sour cream
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
2 lbs salmon
2 tsp dill
2 tsp lemon pepper
salt to taste

Preheat frying pan with about 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. In a medium bowl mash up avocados, garlic, yogurt, and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper, and set aside. Rub salmon with dill, lemon pepper, and salt. Place in frying pan and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side.

* we also do this recipe with blackening seasoning, which is also very good.

Crabby Crab Cakes

In our house, we call these Crabby Patties... like in Sponge-Bob. And yes my kids eat them because of this. I love this recipe because it does not hide the crab in mayo or bread crumbs or other fluff. It is more crab and a few other ingredients. These are pretty simple, but a little time consuming (depending on how big you make your "cakes").

Crabby Crab Cakes

• 1 lb fresh lump crabmeat (I used 3 cans of canned crab)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional)
• 2 tablespoons flour, more for dredging
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons butter
• lemon wedge
• salt and black pepper, freshly ground 

 Gently combine crab, egg, mustard, salt, pepper and 2 Tablespoons flour. Cover; and put in freezer for 5 minutes. Shape mixture into 4 hamburger-shaped patties or use a 3 inch circular cookie cutter, and form your cakes inside that. This will make smaller, perfectly shaped cakes. Line plate with plastic wrap, and put crab cakes on it. Cover with more plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes (or as long as 1 day), or freeze for 15 minutes. Put flour for dredging in a bowl. Combine oil and butter in 12-inch skillet, and turn heat to medium.When butter melts and its foam subsides, gently dredge a crab cake in flour. Gently tap off excess flour; and add crab cake to pan; repeat with remaining crab cakes, and then turn heat to medium-high.
Cook, rotating cakes in pan as necessary to brown first side, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn and brown other side (it will take slightly less time). Serve hot, with lemon wedges.

 

I doubled this recipe and it worked great!

 

I served this with a dip made from mayo, mixed with a little bit of ketchup and Sriracha. You can find sriracha on the Asian food aisle. It is very spicy, but gives a lot of flavor. 

Salt and Pepper Shrimp with Thai Fried Rice

This is a recipe I found in the February 2008 issue of Real Simple. The shrimp part of this recipe was delicious. I have never cooked shrimp in the oven, but it worked! My kids devoured the shrimp... though seafood never lasts long at our house. I had to hide some so my husband (who was late getting off work) could have some too. The Thai fried rice was a little disappointing. It lacked flavor, and I wasn't sure what made it Thai. I was excepting it to have curry in our something, but it doesn't. The only thing that made it different then any other fried rice was it had chorizo in it, but that doesn't make it Thai for me. This recipe is worth having just for the shrimp!

 Salt and Pepper Shrimp with Thai Fried Rice

• 1 pound frozen peeled and deveined large shrimp
• kosher salt and pepper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
• 4 cups frozen or day-old cooked rice
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 3 ounces Spanish chorizo (cured sausage), chopped (optional)
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced

1. Heat oven to 450° F.
2. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the shrimp with 3/4 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Roast the shrimp until bright pink and cooked through, 15 minutes.
3. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and ginger and cook for 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the peas and chorizo, if using, and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.
4. Make a space in the center of the rice and pour in the eggs, sesame oil, soy sauce, and scallions. Scramble the eggs until set, then stir them into the rice. Divide among bowls and serve with the shrimp.

Clam Chowder

This is a favorite recipe for my family and I. Clam chowder is delicious in general, but this recipe is smooth, creamy and rich. This is another recipe from my mother-in-law that I have changed ever so slightly. If you like clam chowder, then you will love this.

Clam Chowder
3/4 lb minced clams (or 2- 61/2 oz cans)
1 cup onions finly chopped
1 c finely diced celery* ( I have also used cerrly salt instead, about 1/2 tsp added in the other veggies)
2 c small cubed potatos
1 tsp old bay seasoning (optional)
3/4 c butter
1 qt half n half
1/3 c flour
1/2 tsp sugar
about 1 1/2 tsp salt to taste
pepper

Drain clam juice over onions, potatoes, and celery in a sauce pan. Add enough water to barely cover the vegetables and add the old bay seasoning. Cover and simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender (about 20 min). In a separate sauce pan melt butter then add flour and whisk for about 2 minutes. Then add half and half, sugar and pepper, then whisk until smooth and thick. Add half and half mixture to the veggies mixture, and let thicken to desired consistency. Remove from heat and stir in the clams. If you cook the clams, they become too rubbery. Serve with crusty bread and a couple dashes of hot pepper sauce. The hot pepper sauce will not make it spicy, it just adds that extra bit of flavor.

* My family and I do not like celery on it's own, but we love it in soups. When I buy celery at the store, I chop it up and freeze it. This makes it perfect for soups or other cooked recipes!

Haddock Caserole

This is a fun recipe for fish. It is very different, but very good! I heard on Food Network the other day that mixing fish and cheese is breaking a cardinal rule of Italian cooking. Well, good thing I am not Italian right?

I have only made this recipe a few times, and I have never been able to find Haddock in the seafood section. However, I looked up online and Cod is very similar to Haddock, so I have only made this recipe with Cod. If you ever find Haddock, let me know! Tilapia works too, which is good because it is very cheap.

This is one your kids will like because it looks a little like macaroni and cheese.

Haddock Caserole

1 can condensed cream of shrimp soup (this will be right next to all your other creamed soups)
1 1/2 pounds haddock, cod, or talapia
1 cup crushed butter flaverd crackers (about 24 crackers)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup milk

Heat oven to 400. Coat bottom of a 8 x 11 inch baking dish or 4 (2 cup) ramekins with just enough soup to barely cover the bottom. Place fish on top and pour remaining soup over fish. Sprinkle crushed cracker over fish; top evenly with cheese. pour milk on top. Cover with foil and bake at 400 for 1 hr 25 minutes or 35 minutes if using ramekins. Let cool slightly before serving.

Crab Legs

Crab legs are not only delicious, they are incredible easy to prepare. You can buy crab legs in the sea food section of any store. Crab legs are something that tend to go on sale a lot, so if you are interested in making them, be sure to check your local store ads. Our favorite place to buy them is at Costco. On Friday's Costco tends to sell fresh seafood at a kiosk near the regular seafood section. There you can buy fresh crab legs for about 11.99 a pound. You can buy two huge crab legs (which feed my family of five) for 10-12 dollars. This time we bought ours at Smiths, they were on sale for 7.99 lb. The crab legs at Smiths were not even close to as large as the ones at Costco, but I bought four crab legs for about $6 and it fed all five of us.

Crab Legs

Unless you are out catching your own crab legs, all crab legs are pre-cooked, so all you need to do is steam them, the best way to do this is described below.

We like to sprinkle dried dill (or fresh if you have it) all over the crab legs before steaming.

Wrap crab legs completely in a damp paper towel, making sure all parts are covered. Then completely cover that in plastic wrap. You will then place crab legs in the microwave and cook for 2 min.  Do not put more then 3 crab legs in at a time. The crab meat will get perfectly steamed this way. The easiest way to get the crab meat out is the crack the shell with a nut cracker or kitchen shears, then pull the meat out with your fingers, or little forks if you have them.

One reason why crab legs are so delicious is you dip the meat in melted butter before you eat it. You can dip it in just plain butter, but I like to add seasonings to it like garlic salt, cayenne pepper, chili powder and dill. You can be creative though, and do whatever you want!