This is about as easy a Dinner Tonight as you can prepare.  Pick up some Alaskan King Crab legs from any of the markets in town.  Even Costco offers these far northern delights from time to time at a great price. 

Some consumers, such as my wife, prefer the legs without the “knuckles,” that ball of crab meat at the joint of the leg that attached to the the main body of the crab.  For me….bring it on……..the more crab meat the better.  Just place the legs in a large pot, add a little water if you desire, cover and steam for about 15 minutes or until the crab meat is tender.  From here, its up to you as to whether you wish a dipping sauce or go it alone.  Often, the crabmeat is so sweet that you don’t need a dip.  There are almost an infinite array of dipping sauce choices: butter based, horseradish-chili, spicy salsa, creamy Dijon, blue cheese and on.  We elected to keep it simple, folding in some finely chopped cilantro into melted butter.  What a heavenly taste!!

Looking for a wine to pair?  This was an easy one.  Chablis (a light bodied Chardonnay from the namesake region), with its dry, lemony and sometimes seaweedy aromas was the ideal partner.  We pulled out a bottle of the 2007 Joseph Drouhin Chablis (~$30) and it didn’t disappoint.  In fact, the only disappointment when all was said and done was that there weren’t more crab legs to go around.  I can correct that error next time!

Tags: Alaskan Crab Legs, Chablis