Baked King Crab

4.49 from 382 votes
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Baked King Crab - King crab is everyone's favorite crustacean and this king crab recipe is baked with Sriracha lemon butter. The crab legs are so juicy, sweet, and perfect for the holidays and special occasions!

King Crab on a serving platter.
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King Crab

I love Alaska king crab, especially the meaty, sweet and juicy king crab legs.

With the holiday season coming up, it’s perfect time to head to your nearest Costco and load up pounds of red king crab for Thanksgiving recipes or Christmas holiday parties.

I have the best king crab recipe for you, baked with Sriracha lemon butter. It’s so crazy delicious and mouthwatering you want it every day!

King crab legs, baked with butter.

How To Cook King Crab

Red king crab.

It’s super easy to make crab legs at home. Most of them are sold as crab legs; they are all pre-cooked and frozen.

All you need is a simple recipe that enhances the natural flavors of the crab. Most people will boil or steam them, and served with melted butter.

To me, boiling or steaming is not the best way to cook king crab because it dilutes the natural, sweet and briny flavors of the crab.

Baking in the oven at high heat brings out mouthwatering aroma of the crab. It also roast the crab meat, remove the extra water content in the frozen crab.

A simple Sriracha lemon butter brings out the natural briny and sweet flavors of the crab meat, while enhancing the flavors. You can also add them to seafood boil. There are just endless possibilities!

King crab recipe with Sriracha lemon butter.

Cooking Tips For Alaskan King Crab

Alaska king crab legs with juicy meat.
  • Frozen crabs are always salty so avoid using salt while cooking, boiling, steaming or baking the crab legs.
  • Cut or chop the king crab legs into shorter pieces. This makes them easier to eat. The shorter segments are also great for dinner parties.
  • For the best oven baked flavors, use a pair of scissors to cut open the top part of the shell as pictured above. This will expose the crab meat for oven roasting. It also allows the butter to sip inside the crab legs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Snow crab vs. king crab

Both crabs are popular crustacean with sweet and delightful leg meat but there are distinct differences between the two species.
Snow crab is much smaller compared to king crab. Snow crab legs have a smooth and softer shell while the latter has a thicker and spiky shell.
You don’t really need a cracking tool to crack open the shells of snow crab as you can snap them open using your hands. Snow crab is also cheaper and less expensive.
Image Credit: Flying43 / Getty Images

How many calories per serving?

This recipe is only 388 calories per serving.

Close up picture of king crab, with sweet and tender crab meat inside the crab legs.

What To Serve With This Recipe

Serve this dish with steak for a homemade surf and turf. For a healthy meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

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4.49 from 382 votes

Baked King Crab Recipe

Baked King Crab – King crab is everyone's favorite crustacean and this king crab recipe is baked with Sriracha lemon butter. The crab legs are so delicious!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
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Ingredients  

  • 2 lbs (1kg) king crab legs
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature and softened
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 dashes smoked paprika and more for dusting
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and/or chives

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400°F (207°C).
  • Cut the king crab legs into shorter segments using a pair of scissors. Cut the crab leg segments lengthwise to expose the crab meat. Alternatively, you can also cut the top part of the shell to expose the crab meat.
    King Crab
  • Arrange the king crab legs in a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil to avoid drying out the crab.
  • In the meantime, make the Sriracha Lemon Butter by whipping the softened butter with a whisk. Add the Sriracha, lemon juice and sugar, whisk to combine well. Set aside.
    King Crab
  • As soon as the crab is out of the oven, spoon the butter over the crab meat. Dust with more smoked paprika and garnish with chopped parsley and/or chives. Serve immediately.
    King Crab

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 4people, Calories: 388kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 42g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 156mg, Sodium: 1927mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Rasa Malaysia

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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Recipe Rating





65 Comments

  1. Steven says:

    Made it for the Superbowl, tasted great! Like the way that the Siracha cuts the richness of the butter!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Awesome!

  2. Julie says:

    We tried this recipe as we are a fishmongers and specialise in King crab. It is amazing and now we use it all the time. http://Www.Kingcrab.co.U.K.
    Thank you

  3. Chey says:

    Do I do this with frozen crab legs or dethawed ones?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Thawed.

    2. Gina G says:

      I used this recipe to make my king crab tonight. Everyone loved it! I love the simplicity of it, yet it ‘s like a fancy dish! Thanks for posting!

  4. Heather says:

    is this for already cooked crab? Im thinking even with foil, it my dry out and texture may be rubbery?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes frozen king crab is already cooked. No, it’s not rubbery.

  5. Hanna Lin says:

    We had it on NY eve. It was very good! I didn’t cut across the legs like she suggested. Instead I just cut open half of the shelf. The crab meat was definitely moist and tasty. Thank you! Wish I can show my picture.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Hi Hanna great that you enjoyed my recipe!! :)

  6. Shelley says:

    5 stars
    In the future, this is the only way Iโ€™ll do King crab legs. Simple, flavorful, and super easy to eat! No cracking, no mess!

  7. JDudley says:

    Would you recommend a dipping sauce or the butter mixture is plenty?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      You don’t need any dipping sauce for this.

  8. Jamie says:

    Is the dipping sauce actually the butter mixture that you say to spoon over the crab legs when they are removed from the oven?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Hi Jamie, I didn’t mention any dipping sauce in the recipe. It’s the butter mixture that you spoon over the crab legs.

      1. Arlene says:

        I think Jamie is referring to the fact that in most of your pictures you have a dipping sauce on the pan, and in the video it shows you dipping the crab in a sauce.

        1. Rasa Malaysia says:

          Ah thanks. The “sauce” is the Sriracha Lemon Butter in step 4. You can make extra to go with the baked king crab.

  9. tom d. hedblom says:

    when cutting the crab legs, HOW does the scissors go through the thicker legs?
    also, . . . are the legs baked FROZEN OR THAWED ?
    this recepie is NOT very cler!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      You want to bake the legs thawed. One should never bake anything frozen. I used scissors to cut through the thicker part of the legs. You just need a good pair.

      1. Sally says:

        Howโ€™d you keep the crab mea from drying out during 20mins at 400

        1. Rasa Malaysia says:

          Cover with aluminum foil.

    2. LeighO says:

      To minimize cleaning. I just melt the butter and add the lemon and schriracha to it. I just brush the mixture onto the cooked crab with a silicone brush. For a 2lb, I just used half the recipe.

  10. Yeh Ximin says:

    5 stars