King crab legs are cooked on the fishing boats or immediately upon landfall to preserve freshness. They need only to be adequately heated before eating. It is recommended that crab legs thaw overnight in your refrigerator. If you’re in a big hurry, king crab can be thawed under cold running water to speed this up. Thawed crab legs can be maintained in the refrigerator for two days, but they should really be cooked as soon as they have been defrosted if possible.
