These Perfectly Baked Crab Legs with Spicy Garlic Butter sauce will melt in your mouth with every bite! The combination of seasonings and succulent taste of the crab will be the only way you’ll ever cook crab legs again!
Every couple months, I like to make a “fancy” dinner for my husband and I. We both love all types of seafood, but baked crab legs are the family favorite! The warm spicy garlic butter sauce compliments the crab legs so perfectly. I can’t even describe how tasty it is. It is both a dipping sauce and a glaze.
Most people are used to steaming crab legs. There is nothing wrong with that, except one thing. You don’t taste any seasonings. After years of steaming, I decided to try a new approach. By baking the crab legs, you not only get a crispier shell to crack, and potentially keeping the crab meat inside in tact, but you also get more flavor. Much more flavor!
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Who needs Red Lobster’s Crabfest? This dinner is a feast. I did whip up some Red Lobster biscuits, shrimp (glazed with the same spicy garlic butter sauce), and a simple caesar salad. Feel free to pair with any sides you wish.
What did you think about my Spicy Garlic Butter? I’d love to hear how this worked out for your crab legs.
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| Servings | Prep Time |
| 2 people | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 25 minutes | 30 minutes |
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These Perfectly Baked Crab Legs with Spicy Garlic Butter sauce will melt in your mouth with every bite! The combination of seasonings and succulent taste of the crab will be the only way you'll ever cook crab legs again!
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- 2 lbs snow crab legs
- 1 cup butter
- 4 tsp minced garlic
- 1 lemon, squeezed
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 pinch parsley, dried
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp old bay seasoning
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, grab yourself a small saucepan. On med low heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic (I prefer a press) and LIGHTLY saute. Squeeze in the juice of the citrus of choice. If using a lemon, squeeze the juice into your hands so that you can remove the seeds with ease. Turn the heat to low and let those flavors mesh until the oven is nice and hot. Then whisk in a pinch of salt, olive oil old bay seasoning, crushed red pepper and a couple pinches of dried parsley. Turn off your burner.
- Arrange the crab legs onto a baking sheet covered in foil. Brush each leg with the butter sauce, sparing some of the sauce for dipping. The spared sauce can be reheated in the skillet prior to serving.
- Place in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 25 minutes.
These legs were fantastic we will never steam again!!
YAY! I’m so happy to hear that! I said the same thing the first time I baked them 🙂
Very good..I You some Cayenne Olive oil(all we had) it was off the chain..(aka Delicious)
Hi Heather,
Quick question, do you thaw the crab legs before putting them in the oven?
Yes, I use thawed crab legs for this recipe. Frozen would be too hard to evenly arrange on the pan and baking time would need to be increased. This would probably cause the garlic in the butter sauce to burn.
Do you need to wrap the crab legs in foil are just lay them on the foil?
Hi Crissy – You just lay them on the foil
Hi I have always boiled or steamed and am going to try this asap! How did you cook the shrimp? Same temperature and length of time or what?
Yes, same length of time on a baking sheet with the crab legs smothered in the same butter sauce.
Wow great legs way better than boiling. This is how I will cook from now on!! thanks
If brushing the butter on the leg. How does the flavor reach the meat when I’m just cracking them to eat the inside?
If you have a meat injector, you can pour a small amount of the butter/garlic mixture and squeeze it into the joints. Baking them with the sauce gives the crab legs that buttery garlic aroma to compliment the dipping sauce.
I tried this recipe and my husband loved It! Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for allowing us to use this recipe. They came out extremely well. This might be the only way I make my crab legs from now on.
You’re so welcome Denise! It means a lot to know this might be your go-to method from now on. Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback!
Wow. We love it! My husband is raving about it. This is definitely how we will cook them from now on.
This recipe is Amazing! I will never make crablegs or butter sauce the same again! Thanks for sharing and making me look amazing in the kitchen!
So I made this tonight for my son’s birthday dinner. The butter is sooooo fabulous! The crab had a wonderful flavor, however it was not easy to peel. I followed the recipe exactly, what do think went wrong? We had to dig the meat out. It was totally worth it though. No leftovers! I also boiled some red potatoes in Old Bay and we dipped them in the butter as well. To die for!
I have been baking my crab legs for years! When frozen, they steam when covered in foil. I can’t wait to make your spicy sauce this Sunday for Father’s Day!
Do you cook at the same time and temperature when cooking frozen? Thanks!
If doing shrimp to do u peel first
Yes, peeling them first will ensure the seasonings get baked into the shrimp
I made this last night and it REALLY was the best ever! The butter sauce was out of this world!! I forgot to take picture. Because I ate them😂
Definitely will make all the time
I like to put my crab legs on the grille, for the smoke taste, really good this way too.
Try putting them on the grille
Do you use unsalted real butter or just regular butter like I can’t believe it’s not butter?
Perfect Christmas Day meal! So easy and was a crowd pleaser. Thank you so much! You have a new follower for sure!
could I use king crab legs in place of snow crab?
They are soooooooooo good
I smothered mine and butter and put in the oven for 45 minutes on 225 then I took them out for about 5 to 7 minutes without the butter The Shield’s cracked easily and the flavor was immense