Snow Crab Legs
intro
Sweet, tender snow crab legs steamed and tossed in garlicky Old Bay butter, for a juicy, no-fuss coastal seafood feast perfect for sharing.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep the crab legs
Pat thawed pre-cooked snow crab legs dry with paper towels. Use sharp kitchen shears to cut a 2cm (3/4 inch) slit along the curved top of each leg shell to expose meat for easy eating, keeping shell segments connected at the joints to hold in moisture during steaming.
Prep the steamer pot
Pour 240ml (1 cup) of cold water into a 5L (5.3 quart) stockpot, set a metal steamer basket inside, and confirm the water level sits 1-2cm below the basket base to avoid boiling crab directly. Bring water to a full rolling boil over medium-high heat, approximately 4 minutes.
Steam the crab legs
Arrange prepped crab legs in a loose single layer in the steamer basket, ensuring no segments are tightly packed to allow even steam circulation. Seal the pot tightly with a lid, reduce heat slightly to medium, and steam for exactly 5 minutes; overcooking will turn delicate crab meat tough and rubbery.
Make garlic butter
While crab steams, melt 113 grams (1/2 cup) of unsalted butter in a 1L (1 quart) small saucepan over low heat, about 2 minutes. Add 12 grams of minced garlic, 15 grams (1 tablespoon) of Old Bay seasoning, and 3 grams (1 teaspoon) of kosher salt, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula for 1 minute until garlic is fragrant and pale gold, taking care not to burn it. Remove pan from heat.
Toss crab in butter
Once crab legs finish steaming, use long metal tongs to carefully transfer all segments to a large 3L (3 quart) serving bowl. Pour 3/4 of the warm garlic butter over the hot crab legs, add 1 tablespoon (3 grams) of chopped parsley, and toss gently for 30 seconds to coat every shell evenly.
Garnish and serve
Drizzle the remaining garlic butter over the top of the crab, sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon (3 grams) of chopped parsley, tuck lemon wedges around the bowl edge, and serve immediately while piping hot, with small seafood forks and crab crackers on the side.
Tips
2.Thaw frozen crab legs overnight in the refrigerator for even cooking; never thaw at room temperature for more than 1 hour to avoid harmful bacteria growth, and never refreeze previously thawed crab.
3.If you do not have a steamer basket, arrange crab legs on a wire cooling rack set inside the stockpot, as long as the legs do not come into direct contact with boiling water, which will make the meat waterlogged and bland.
OMG these garlic butter steamed crab legs were a total hit at our Sunday family dinner! My 7 and 9 year old usually turn up their noses at seafood, but they were begging for seconds before I even sat down. So easy to throw together too, 20 minutes total is perfect for our chaotic weeknights too, not just weekends! 10/10 will be making this for our next neighborhood potluck for sure.
Game changer! I always used to boil crab legs which made them watery and bland, but steaming them with that garlic butter? *Chef’s kiss* The butter soaks right in without making the meat soggy. Made these for my guys’ poker night last weekend and every single crab cluster was gone in 15 minutes flat. Will never make crab legs another way again.
Super easy recipe, tasted amazing! Only note is I added a tiny squeeze of lemon and a pinch of Old Bay to the garlic butter and it took it over the top. My only tiny complaint is I wish the recipe noted how much butter to use per pound of crab? I guessed and it worked out but would love a more specific measurement for when I make big meal prep batches!
As someone who grew up eating crab on the Washington coast, I’m super picky about how crab legs are prepared — and this recipe did NOT disappoint! The garlic is fragrant but not overpowering, the meat stays sweet and tender, no rubbery texture at all. Made these for my date night in last night and my boyfriend said it’s better than the seafood restaurant we went to for our anniversary.
SO good! I made these for my mom’s Mother’s Day brunch and everyone raved. I sprinkled a little fresh parsley on top for color and it looked like it came straight out of a fancy restaurant menu. No one believed it only took 20 minutes to make! Even my super picky grandma went back for a second helping.
Meal prep win! I steamed a big batch of these on Sunday, cracked all the meat out, and have been adding it to salads, pasta, and even scrambled eggs all week. The garlic butter flavor is so good it makes even boring work lunches feel fancy. 10/10, way cheaper than getting takeout seafood too.
My granddaughter showed me this recipe last week and we made it together when she visited. Best crab legs I’ve had in years! We had so much fun cracking them open and dipping the meat in the extra garlic butter. Can’t wait to make these again when the whole family comes for the Fourth of July.
First time ever making crab legs at home and I was so nervous I’d ruin them, but this recipe was so straightforward! They came out perfectly tender, the garlic butter was so flavorful, my roommate said it’s better than the seafood spot down the block that charges $40 a plate. Only tiny mishap was I spilled a little butter on my stove, but that’s 100% user error lmao.