Crab Legs with Garlic Lemon Butter

Crab Legs

I love crab, especially King crab and snow crab. They are my favorite seafood!

Whenever I go to Las Vegas, they are the first thing I would grab from the buffet. They are so delicious with sweet and juicy crab meat.

How to Cook Crab Legs?

In the United States, crab legs we get from the market are mostly pre-cooked, heavily salted and frozen.

Here are the three basic cooking methods for home cooks:

• Boiling.
• Steaming.
• Oven baked.

At restaurants, they are boiled in hot water and served with melted butter. However, I don’t recommend boiling because it depletes the natural sweetness of the crab. It also overcooks them.

If you choose boiling method, I recommend boiling for 5 minutes, in rolling boil water.

Steaming is a better method and I recommend steaming in a steamer for 5 – 10 minutes.

The best method is oven baking. Season the crab legs with melted butter, garlic, lemon juice, parsley and bake them in the oven for 5 minutes.

This is one of the best crab leg recipes ever!

Cook’s Tips on How to Make Crab Legs

For the best results at home, please follow my tips below:

• If you choose boiling as the cooking method, do not use salted water.
• Do not overcook. Over cooking will make the texture tougher and taste.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do You Have to Thaw Frozen Crab Legs Before Cooking?
The answer is yes. Thaw them before cooking for moist, tender and juicy crab meat.

King Crab Legs VS. Snow Crab Legs
The former has bigger legs. The meat is firm and sweet. They taste more like lobster.

Snow crab has skinny and long legs, making them less meatier. However, there are no thorns or spikes on the the legs so they are easier to crack open and eat. They are also cheaper.

To learn all the differences between the two species, please click here.

Where Is the Best Place to Buy?

Crab legs are not cheap but you can get discounted price from stores whenever they are on sale.

The best place to buy is Costco. Costco has good quality King crab legs that taste sweet, fresh and not too salty.

During sales and promotion, you can get them for less than $20 per pound.

How Many Calories per Serving?

This recipe is only 398 calories per serving.

What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?

This recipe is best served with a side of crusty skillet garlic bread, cheesy garlic Texas Toast or cheddar bay biscuits, as an appetizer. For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

Pasta Recipes – One Pot Pasta

Honey Butter Corn

Steamed Clams in Beer

Garlic Butter Fish