How long to cook snow crab legs?

Crab legs are the best way to treat yourself to a fancy meal at home, and they’re much simpler to make than you might think.

When it comes to eating out, I love crab. It’s my favorite restaurant food to order. Even though it’s not exactly inexpensive, I occasionally indulge in this splurge.

However, here’s the thing: you can totally make snow crab legs at home for a fraction of the cost of dining out, and they only take five minutes.

There’s nothing tricky to this crab recipe. You can make as much or as little crab as you like; I typically make 2 pounds, one for each serving. Simply bring some water to a boil, season it, and then add your crab. When the timer goes off, remove it.

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How to Boil Snow Crab Legs

Obtain a list of all the ingredients.

My go-to technique is the one I describe in detail in the recipe card below. However, I’ll also cover grilling and steaming tips in this section.

Season a large pot of boiling water with salt and Old Bay.

While the water is coming to a boil, start melting butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook the butter until it gets foamy, it only takes a minute. Remove the pan from the hot burner and let the butter hang out in the pan for 5 minutes while the crab cooks.

Next, place the crab legs into the boiling water. (I use tongs!) Let the crab boil for 5 to 6 minutes until it’s warmed and fragrant.

Then, use tongs to remove the crab from the pot and place on dinner plates.

Use a spoon to remove any solids floating on top of the butter. Then pour the butter into two small bowls.

Sprinkle a little more Old Bay over the crab legs (optional but I like to do this) and then serve immediately with the clarified butter and lemon wedges.

You will require a sizable, deep pot with a steamer basket for steaming. Bring about one to two inches of water in the pot to a boil. Close the lid after adding the crab leg clusters to the steamer basket. Cook the crab until thoroughly heated, about 4-5 minutes.

Heat an outside grill to medium-high heat. Spray cooking spray or olive oil all over the legs before placing them on the hot grill. Close the lid and cook the meat until thoroughly heated, about 7 minutes per side.

Both can be found in the majority of American grocery stores, but which you choose will depend on availability and your budget. Snow crab legs, which typically have 6 to 8 legs and, if you’re lucky, an attached claw, are sold in clusters as opposed to king crab legs, which are sold individually. The legs you buy at the supermarket are typically prepared and frozen.

There are numerous methods for preparing crab legs for cooking. I’ll demonstrate how to boil them in the section below, but you can also pressure cook, steam, broil, bake, or grill the crab.

The store-bought crab legs you purchase will be prepared and frozen. Thaw them in your fridge before boiling. Crab legs only need to boil for about 5 minutes. You’re just reheating them and flavoring the water with some seasoning. You must boil fresh, raw crab legs for 6 to 8 minutes if you purchase them.

You should pay attention to the color of your crab legs depending on whether they are fresh or frozen. The color of cooked frozen legs will already be orange or red. When they’re done, the crab turns pink or red and the meat becomes opaque. Fresh crab meat will be a greenish brown.

How to Cook Snow Crab Legs

Thaw crab legs, if needed. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line the baking sheet with foil. Place snow crab clusters on foil lined baking sheet.

Squeeze lemon over crab legs evenly. Lay ¼ cup butter, cubed on top of crab legs.

Sprinkle crab legs with lemon pepper and minced garlic. Place crab legs in the oven for 5-7 minutes.

Serve warm with lemon wedges and your second 1/4 cup of melted butter for dipping.

EASY TO MAKE SNOW CRAB LEGS