Cooking crab legs in the oven is simple and stress-free. You don’t need to use a large pot or fill a large stockpot. A sheet pan and parchment paper are all you’ll need for this recipe. It’s quick since your involvement is minimal, aside from preheating the oven. The crab legs recipe works with either King Crab or Snow Crab; the cooking time may be different due to how Crab is. It doesn’t get much easier than this when making crab legs at home. Even the most inexperienced cooks can prepare delicious and perfectly cooked crab legs. Steaming, boiling, and oven broiling are three traditional ways to prepare crab legs. We’ll go over how to steam crab legs in the oven, and by the end, you’ll be an expert at it.
Crab Nutrition Facts
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Kitchen shears, for removing the shells
- Saucepan
How to Eat Crab Legs
- For Cut the shell of a leg lengthwise using a pair of kitchen scissors. To reveal the meat within, fold it open.
- To prepare the Snow Crab Legs, combine the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Begin by snapping each leg from the cluster.
- Snap each leg in half at the joint, then gently bend back and forth until the shell breaks with two hands on each end. The meat should be able to slide out of the shell without difficulty.
- To break open the shell for claws, use a cracker or your teeth. If you press down too hard, the flesh will be crushed. Remove the flesh from the shell by peeling back the shell.
- To make the cluster, gently crack it open with your hands. On the inside, the meat is discovered. Remove all the meat pockets with a bit of fork.
Reheating and Storage of Leftovers Suggestions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and wrap the crab legs in foil before baking for 15-20 minutes to reheat the crab legs in the shell.
- To reheat crab flesh, place it in a hot skillet and cook for 3 minutes, or until well heated.
- Remove the remaining meat from the crab after cracking it for storage. Refrigerate the leftover crab legs for 3 to 5 days if sealed in an airtight container.
- Crabmeat is also wonderful cold, blended in spaghetti with pesto sauce, or made as a seafood salad.
View this post on Instagram
Cooking Time for Steaming Crab Legs in the Oven
Bake for 10-15 minutes in the oven instead of boiling in a large pot of water (depending on which type of crab you use). Serve with heated, melted butter once the dish has reached the desired temperature. This dish is ideal for parties and holiday gatherings. Below are the cooking time involved in steaming crab legs in the oven:
| Cooking time for Steaming crab legs in the oven | Cooking time |
| Prepping | 5 minutes |
| Steaming and baking | 15 to 20 minutes |
| Total time | 20 to 25 minutes |
If you have followed the easy and straightforward steps above, then you are already enjoying deliciously cooked steamed crab legs. However, if you want to learn more about how to steam crab legs in the oven, then you can do so by watching this video by clicking here.
Print
How To Cook Steamed Crab Legs In The Oven
Instructions
Step 1: Clean and prep the crab legs. Give them a brief wash in the sink if they’re filthy. They’re probably fine if you got them from the fish counter at your local supermarket. The crab legs should be thawed out and defrosted in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours if you purchase frozen crab legs. Alternatively, you can thaw the crab legs by running them under cold water.
Step 2: Prepare the crab legs by cutting them half and preheating the oven to 350°F. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Use towels to dry the crab legs after rinsing them with cold water. Cut each crab leg in half lengthwise with a pair of kitchen shears. Cutting a long slit in the leg shell will aid in the meat‘s absorption of the tasty sauce.
Step 3: Toss in the seasonings and melt the butter. In a small pot, place the salted butter. Melt the butter over medium heat. Finely mince garlic, dry white wine, lemon juice, and finely chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley are all whisked into the sauce. Add hot smoked paprika to give it a smokey flavor.
Step 4: Stir the sauce and cook it for 1 minute on low heat. Continue to whisk the sauce over medium heat until all ingredients are combined and aromatic. It should only take one minute to do this task. Remove the heat from the room.
Step 5: Coat the crab legs with the sauce on a sheet. On a rimmed baking sheet, place the crab legs. Pour the butter sauce over the legs in three-quarters. The sauce should cover the legs completely. Set aside the rest of the butter sauce to baste the legs while they’re cooking.
Step 6: Baste the crabs with the sauce after baking for 8 minutes. Steam the crab legs for about 5 minutes, and then cook the crab legs on a baking pan for 8 minutes in a preheated oven. Dip a pastry brush into the butter sauce and open the oven door. Brush the sauce on the crab legs before putting it in the oven.
Step 7: Continue to cook the crab legs for a further 8 minutes, basting them halfway through. After another 8 minutes in the oven, remove the legs from the oven and coat them with extra butter sauce. The oven door should be shut.
Step 8: Bake for 6 minutes the crab legs. When the crab legs have completed cooking, remove them from the oven. It will take 22 minutes to prepare king crab legs. If using snow crab clusters, reduce the cooking time by 7 minutes; using Dungeness crab clusters lowers the cooking time by 4 minutes.
Step 9: Drizzle the butter sauce over the crab legs. On a large serving plate, place the hot crab. Fill dipping bowls with the buttery liquid leftover from the baking sheet. Place these near the crab legs so that guests may dip the flesh.
Notes
- Remember to have paper towels and crab cracking tools ready.