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.