How to Cook Crab Legs
Home-cooked Crab Legs couldn’t get any easier, so you can make a restaurant-quality feast for much less than you would pay to dine out. I’ll show you the best ways to cook crab legs, from steaming to baking, grilling, and even using the Instant Pot. P.S. Don’t skip the mouthwatering garlic butter dipping sauce!
Crab Legs Video
Crab Legs Recipe
In most grocery stores, crab legs are sold pre-cooked and either frozen or thawed from frozen, so to make them at home, you just need instructions on how to reheat them without drying out the meat or losing that delicious flavor.
Make sure you try garlic-butter dip I’ve included in the recipe. The combination of butter, garlic, and lemon pairs so well with seafood; that’s why I’ve used a similar flavor profile with our Broiled Lobster Tails and Baked Salmon.
Crab Legs with Garlic Butter Sauce
- Crab legs – See my notes for buying them below! I stock up when they go on sale (around Valentine’s Day) and keep frozen for later. *NOTE: Thawed crabs should be refrigerated and consumed within 1-2 days.
- Water – for steaming or cooking the crab
- Garlic butter dip – butter, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and lemon juice
How to Buy Crab Legs
If you’ve never purchased them before, here are a few pointers on what to look for:
- Snow Crab Legs – I used these to make this recipe. Buy legs attached together as a cluster. The cluster is filled with meat.
- Dungeness Crabs – works just as well. Ask the fish department at your grocery store for help cleaning/removing the shell.
- King Crab legs are significantly more expensive but very meaty and a real treat.
How to Cook Crab Legs
I’ve covered all of the best ways to cook crabs, from steaming to baking, grilling, and finally pressure cooking. The only method I don’t recommend is boiling, since it results in a watery mess when you crack the legs open and a diluted flavor.
Steamed Crab Legs
This Stock Pot method preserves the best flavor and texture of the crab, and so it’s my favorite for feeding a crowd.
- Steam in a large stockpot with a steamer basket and 1 cup of water, and then steam cook covered for about 5 minutes for thawed or 10 minutes for frozen meat.
Oven-Baked Crab Legs Recipe
Oven-baked crab legs may cook a bit longer, but they are easy for anyone without a grill or Instant Pot.
- Wrap – Using heavy-duty aluminum foil, create a foil pack for 4 clusters of crab legs. Bring the two ends together in the center, and fold them together twice. Then fold the other two ends together twice to seal the foil packet. Do not add water to the foil pack.
- Bake – Place foil packs on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 450˚F for 25 minutes (frozen) or 15 minutes (thawed).
Grilled Crab Legs Recipe
Add a little smoky flavor to the crab legs on the grill, but be careful not to overcook the meat!
- Wrap – Wrap 4 clusters in foil, as in the oven method, but remember that there’s no need to add water to the packets, as they will steam with their natural moisture.
- Grill over medium/high heat or about 450˚F for 15-20 minutes (frozen) or 10 minutes (thawed).
Instant Pot Crab Legs
This method is so quick, so it’s my favorite way to cook crab legs for 2 people.
- Fill the pot – Place a trivet into a 6 Qt Instant Pot. Add 1 cup of water and up to 4 clusters of fresh or frozen legs.
- Cook – Cook on manual high pressure for 4 minutes and then quick release. Repeat with another batch right away using the same water.
Pro Tip:
Set up your Instant Pot outside or let it vent under the stove hood, or your kitchen will be quite fragrant!
How to Make Crab Legs Dipping Sauce
This garlic butter dip for crab legs is my favorite seafood dip, so try it with shrimp scampi or broiled lobster tails next.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter, and then stir in minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir for just 30 seconds and take off the heat, and then stir in lemon juice.
How to Serve Crab Legs
Serve the meat hot or cold, and use Crab Crackers or kitchen shears to carefully open the shell, and then dip the meat in the garlic butter. Add these sides to make a full meal:
- Grilled Corn on the Cob
- Baked Potato
- Homemade Biscuits
- Green Goddess Salad
- Chickpea Salad
- Roasted Asparagus
My crab legs recipe creates flavorful and moist crab meat in just minutes, so choose from one of the 4 methods: steaming, oven, grilling, or Instant Pot. And don’t forget the garlic butter drip! It’s amazing how easy it is to make restaurant-quality seafood at home.
Crabs Legs with Garlic Butter
Ingredients
Method
- Steam – Place a steamer basket or wire rack at the bottom of a large stockpot. Add 1 cup of water. Place crab legs over the rack (as many as your pot will accommodate). Bring the water to a boil, then cover and steam cook until fragrant and steaming hot (5-10 minutes). Frozen crab legs will take longer, thawed crab legs cook faster).
- Wrap – Using heavy-duty aluminum foil, create a foil pack with 4 clusters of crab legs. Using a long sheet of foil with the crab legs in the center, bring the two ends together and fold them together twice. Fold the other two ends together twice to seal the foil packet. Do not add water since it will steam-cook with the natural moisture from the crab legs.
- Bake – Place on a baking sheet and onto the center rack of a preheated oven at 450˚F for 25 minutes if frozen or 15 minutes if thawed. The crab legs are ready when you open the foil pack, and they are steaming.
- Wrap – Create the same foil pack of 4 crab leg clusters as in the Oven-Baked directions.
- Grill over medium/high heat at 450˚F for 15 minutes if frozen or 10 minutes if thawed. Crab legs are ready when you see steaming as you open the foil pack.
- Fill the pot – Place a trivet in a 6 qt Instant Pot and add 1 cup of water. Add 3-4 clusters of fresh or frozen crab legs per batch, folding the legs to fit more in (thawed are easier to fit than frozen).
- Cook – Close the lid, set the vent to sealing position, and cook on manual high pressure 4 minutes, then switch the vent to venting position and do a quick release* of remaining pressure.
- Heat – In a medium saucepan, melt 4 Tbsp butter and add 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Stir 30 seconds until fragrant, then remove from heat. Off the heat, squeeze in 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice. Divide between ramekins to serve.
Notes
- Before cooking, thawed crab meat should be cooked/consumed within 2 days.
- After cooking, cool leftover crab meat and then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheat from frozen in a saucepan set on low heat on the stove until warm (165°F). Sauté with a tablespoon of water or butter to prevent drying out.
