How to Cook Crab Legs

5 from 32 votes

Crab legs are ridiculously easy to make at home. We'll show you how to boil, steam, and broil them and we'll even teach you how to eat them!

Prep Time5

Cook Time7

Total Time12

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American, Seafood

Keyword: Crab Legs

Servings: servings

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Season the water with 1 tablespoon of salt, if desired. Submerge crab legs into the boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from water and serve with melted butter, Old Bay seasoning, and lemon wedges for squeezing over meat.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place a steamer basket over the boiling water. Place crab legs in steamer basket. Put lid on to cover and steam 5-7 minutes. Remove and serve with melted butter, Old Bay seasoning, and lemon wedges for squeezing over meat.

Preheat your oven on the broiler setting. Place crab legs on a baking sheet. Brush legs with melted butter or olive oil, if desired. Place tray 6 to 8 inches beneath the broiler and broil 3 to 4 minutes per side flipping halfway through. Serve hot with melted butter, Old Bay seasoning, and lemon wedges for squeezing over meat.

[yeetvid]

Tools: Use seafood crackers or kitchen shears for the shells and a small fork or pick to extract the meat.
How to Crack: Twist the legs at the joints to break them into sections, then crack the shell with a cracker or snip it with shears.
Don’t Miss the Knuckles: Dig into the joints for extra meat.