You may have been wondering how to cook Alaskan King Crab Legs on the grill. This easy method makes it less scary and a great idea for a special meal, especially since you can dip the delicious crab meat in a lemon garlic butter sauce.
If you like seafood as much as we do, you should also try our Pan Seared Scallops, Easy Grilled Shrimp Skewers, and Maine Lobster Rolls!
King crab legs are a delicious and impressive meal that can easily be made right in your own backyard. Grilling the crab legs brings out their natural sweetness and gives them a lovely char and smoky flavor. It only takes a few simple steps to cook the crab legs so they turn out moist, tasty and perfectly done.
Benefits of Grilling Crab Legs
There are several advantages to grilling crab legs rather than boiling or steaming them
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Grilling enhances the flavor. The high heat caramelizes the natural sugars in the crab legs, giving them a depth of flavor and sweetness. The smokiness from the grill also adds extra complexity.
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Grilling is fast and easy Preheating the grill takes 10-15 minutes but after that, the crab legs only need 5-10 minutes of direct cooking time It’s a quick and simple cooking method.
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You get that nice char. The high and direct heat allows you to char and blacken parts of the shell and meat. This adds textural contrast and visual appeal.
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It’s done outdoors. Grilling crab legs is a great meal to make during the warmer months when you can cook outside. It feels like a special, summery treat.
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Less clean up. Grilling crab legs is far less messy than boiling a large pot of water. Just throw away the foil and give the grill grates a quick scrub.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow these simple steps for perfectly cooked king crab legs every time you grill them.
1. Thaw the Crab Legs
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Make sure your crab legs are fully thawed before grilling. The best way to safely thaw them is in the refrigerator overnight or for 24 hours.
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You can also submerge the legs in cold water for 2-3 hours until thawed. Change the water every 30 minutes so it stays cold.
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Do not thaw crab legs on the counter or in hot water. This increases risk of bacterial growth.
2. Preheat the Grill
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Before cooking the crab legs, preheat your grill to 400°F. This high temperature is needed to properly cook and char the crab legs.
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Use all burners on a gas grill or distribute charcoal evenly if using a charcoal grill. You want even, direct heat.
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Let the grill fully preheat for 10-15 minutes so it reaches the proper cooking temperature.
3. Prepare the Crab Legs
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Once thawed, place the king crab legs on a large sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil.
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Wrap the foil tightly around each crab leg or group of legs, sealing them inside the foil pouches.
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This traps heat and moisture during grilling. But you can still peel back the foil and check doneness.
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Make sure each foil packet is tightly sealed so steam doesn’t escape while grilling.
4. Grill the Crab Legs
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Place the foil crab leg packets directly over the heat on the preheated grill grates.
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Cook for 5-10 minutes, depending on thickness. Rotate the packets halfway through for even cooking.
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Use tongs to flip and rotate the foil packets. This prevents bottom scorching.
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Remove each packet from the grill when the internal meat reaches 145°F on a meat thermometer.
5. Check for Doneness
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Check for doneness after 5 minutes. Carefully open the foil and pierce the meatiest part of a crab leg with a thermometer.
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It should reach 145°F. If not, reseal the foil and grill for 2-3 more minutes.
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The crab meat should be opaque and flake easily when fully cooked.
6. Remove and Serve
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When done, remove the crab legs from the grill and foil packets.
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Serve them hot off the grill for maximum flavor. Provide small hammers or mallets to crack open the shells.
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Pair the crab with clarified butter, lemon wedges, garlic sauce or your favorite dipping sauces.
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For easy cleanup, make sure to discard any uneaten crab legs within 2 hours. Enjoy!
Tips for Grilling Success
Follow these tips for perfect, juicy crab legs every time.
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Choose legs that are similar in size for even cooking. Remove any rubber bands so seasonings can penetrate.
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Let the grill heat for an extra 5 minutes if using a gas grill. This ensures it reaches the 400°F cooking temperature.
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Rotate and flip the foil packets frequently. This prevents hot spots and promotes steam circulation.
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Quickly reseal the foil after checking doneness to allow the crab to cook through fully.
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Let meat rest for 5 minutes before eating. This allows juices to reabsorb so crab doesn’t dry out.
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Add seasonings like Old Bay, lemon pepper or Cajun seasoning to the foil packets for more flavor.
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Use a meat thermometer to guarantee doneness. Crab legs should reach 145°F for food safety and proper texture.
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Serve with melted butter, garlic butter, mustard sauce or lemon wedges for drizzling.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I grill king crab legs?
- Grill for 5-10 minutes, depending on thickness. Check doneness after 5 minutes. Cook longer if needed until meat reaches 145°F.
Should the grill be hot or low heat?
- Use high, direct heat at 400°F. The high temperature is needed to sear the shell, cook the meat and impart smoky flavor.
Can I grill crab legs frozen?
- No, always thaw crab legs fully before grilling for food safety reasons and even cooking. Grilling frozen legs yields underdone meat.
What temperature should king crab legs reach?
- Cook until the thickest part of the meat reaches 145°F internally. This ensures the crab legs are fully cooked and safe to eat.
How do I prevent sticking or burning the shell?
- Wrapping legs in foil prevents scorching and helps meat steam inside. Rotate packets frequently and quickly reseal foil when checking doneness.
Grilling sweet, smoky king crab at home is easy and rewarding. In less than 10 minutes, you can enjoy restaurant-quality crab legs infused with delicious grill flavor. Follow the tips above for flawlessly grilled crab legs.
How to Cook Alaskan King Crab Legs
As I thought about the Alaska Week recipes I would share on American Eats, I knew I had to make Alaskan king crab legs. The main reason was that I had never bought them before, even though I see them all the time at the store!
Those things are pricey! And I felt all intimidated!
Did I need special tools to crack the crabs to eat them? I didn’t know how to cook frozen crab legs! Would my family even like the taste of them? What would I serve them with? (Even food bloggers get nervous when they try new foods!)
It turns out my fears were all unnecessary because king crab legs are insanely easy to prepare!
And I didnt need any special tools or equipment. And yes, my family liked them!
These are likely to be a hit with your family if they like shrimp, fish, and other seafood in general.
The best sides to go with crab legs were simple things like fresh salad and good crusty bread.
To be fair, Alaskan king crab legs are a bit pricey for dinner, but they’re a great choice for celebrations and special events, or just as a rare treat now and then. Just like really amazing steak or other premium cuts of meat.
Before I bought some king crab legs and decided to make it at home, I did a lot of research. Ultimately I found that there are 4 main ways of preparing king crab legs:
If you want to know how to boil, steam or bake Alaskan king crab legs, this is a great resource.
Grilling is my favorite thing to do, and it’s summer, so I thought it would be a good idea to show you how I made these Alaskan king crab legs on the grill.
How to Cook Crab Legs on the Grill
The truth is that grilling crab legs is SO simple that I almost don’t want to post this.
But if you’re like me, you may have seen crab at the store (Costco often has beautiful displays of them) and wondered how to cook them or who buys them.
Did you know that grilling king crab legs takes less than 10 minutes?
I know! I was shocked!
See, almost all of the king crab we see in the lower 48 states has already been cooked in Alaska and then quickly frozen. Crab meat is very delicate and it just doesnt ship without being cooked and frozen first.
So you arent actually cooking so much as reheating!
Here is how you do it:
- Heat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Rub a little olive oil on the outside of the crab legs.
- Put the crab legs on the grill and cook for four to five minutes. Then turn them over and cook for four to five more minutes, or until the meat is hot all the way through.
- Take the crab legs off the grill and use kitchen shears to cut open the underside (the smoother, whiter part, not the spiny, bright orange part). Then, use your fingers to crack open the split shell.
- Take out the crab meat, dip it in melted butter, and eat!
Its totally okay to buy king crab legs frozen and let them defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Some stores, like Costco and the seafood sections of big grocery stores, will already have them defrosted for you, which makes things even easier.
But don’t buy crab legs that have already been defrosted and then freeze them again. When you finally defrost them and eat them, they won’t taste fresh.
Since all of the king crab we get is frozen, we can pretty much eat it all year. However, it is only caught in the Bering Sea in the winter and for short periods in July and September.
King crab has long legs and spiny, hard shells. The meat inside the legs is silky and delicious, and it comes out easily in big chunks that taste great when dipped in melted butter.
All you need to get to that yummy crab meat is a good pair of kitchen shears. Or just steal your kids strong craft scissors if thats how you roll. Although if you have crab & seafood shears, by all means use those.
I mean to say that it’s not hard at all to cut those crab legs open and get to the meat inside.
About 200% of crab legs are meat, so buying 24 ounces of crab legs for two people gives you about 208 to 12 ounces of meat, or about 204 to 6 ounces per person.
That’s plenty, I think, since it’s such a rich and tasty protein, especially when dipped in a very easy lemon garlic butter. Now go ahead and eat those big chunks of crab meat.
