One of the things that I love to eat, but don’t eat normally, is crab legs. I don’t usually eat them because they are so expensive.

Crab legs fall into the category of things I am allowed to eat on my diet, and I made an attempt to put a dent in my losses during a trip to the casino by eating my weight in crab at the buffet. It was a great thought, but I fell short by a lot.

There are all kinds of varieties of crab legs that you can buy. The most popular seems to be king crab, but you also see red, blue and golden king crab.

Red is especially sought after. They can reach up to 25 pounds in size. How would you like to see that while you are swimming? I think I will pass, minnows are bad enough.

The crab season is relatively short and lasts from October to January. Different crabs are caught in different parts of the world. They all share that they love cold water and a lot of red crabs are caught off the coast of Alaska.

Crab fishing is regarded as one of the most dangerous jobs in the world because of the weather conditions and the cold. If you ever watch any of those TV shows showing what these people do for a living, it really is amazing. It puts making soup at 5:30 in the morning seem less of a pain in the neck. Now I know why it’s so expensive.

There are a million ways to cook crab. My suggestion is to stay away from putting them in boiling water. That only drowns out the flavor of the crab and it makes it hard to get them out of the shell. There’s nothing worse than fighting with your meal.

I have had crab grilled and baked in the oven. Remember, many crab legs are already cooked so you don’t have to cook them long and then it’s time to eat. Cooking them at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes is more than enough time.

I have also heard that microwaving them is a good way to cook them. I have never done it, but I’ve heard it works.

Most crab legs are served with melted butter. It’s good, but I have to admit it’s a rough way to ruin a shirt. I like eating them with a dip that is mayonnaise-based. Here is a recipe that you should give a try.

Crab Dip

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon diced shallots

2 teaspoons chopped capers

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

Juice of half a lemon

2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil

Mix all the ingredients together and let rest for an hour. Serve with crab legs. This also acts as a great dip for fish. Enjoy.