Baked Snow Crab Legs
This fail proof method is your new favorite and only way you will ever make crab legs again. I’ve been preparing my crab legs like this for years and I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to share, but here it is to bless you with it’s bounty and level up your seafood game. You’ll be left saying crab boil who!?
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to a boil. They definitely are great for when you need to make seafood for a large group, but let’s be honest, when you’re the only one eating it, there’s not much need to bust out the big pots for a small portion. Also, if you’re like me, I don’t really care for the corn, potatoes and sausage. Those are filler ingredients for me. Good for getting you full, but a distraction for the main event and I’m here for that main thang; that delicious and succulent crab meat.
So, if you want to do crab legs right, you have to bake them. No, not broil them, bake them. Baking them, not only allows the meat to remain juicy and retain the crab flavor but the butter and seasoning are able to baste in slowly to enhance the delicate meat. The oven brings an added depth of flavor that a traditional boil could never do. It’s not something I can explain. You just have to experience it for yourself.
I know during the summer, you want to reduce the amount of times you use the oven, but I will sacrifice my AC for this. That’s how much I love this fail proof method. There’s nothing worse than overcooked and under seasoned seafood. This method cooks the crab legs perfect each and every time. The seasonings used doesn’t really matter. In this recipe, I’ll be showing you my classic cajun garlic butter, but the main thing I want you to get out of this, is the baking process. However, if you do use this cajun butter, you might become unhealthyly (yep, unhealthyly is a word now) addicted to these snow crabs. I also use this same butter for lobster tails and shrimp. I say all that to say, try this butter. It doesn’t disappoint.
I don’t want to prolong this much longer, but I would like to note that I prefer snow crabs. This baking method will work with any form of hard shelled crab. My parents have tested this on Dungeness and king crab, but my true love is snow crab. But if you are using a different crab, you might have to adjust the baking time, give or take 5-10 minutes from this recipe, depending on the size of your non-snow crab clusters.
By now, I hope I’ve convinced you enough to proceed to the recipe. Even if I haven’t, continue on to change your mind.
For 3 Snow Crab Clusters
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Baking Time: 20 minutes
Cajun Garlic Butter Ingredients:
20 oz butter*
1/3 cup minced yellow onion
1/4 cup minced garlic
2 tsp Louisiana concentrated crawfish boil liquid
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp kosher salt
*I use a mixer of salted and unsalted butter; 2 oz unsalted to 8oz salted. I use more unsalted than salted to control how much salt goes into the butter. If using all unsalted, add an additional 1/4 tsp kosher salt. If using all salted, omit the kosher salt all together. We don’t believe in high blood pressure around here.
Tools:
10x15 baking tray
basting brush
small saucepan
dipping/condiment bowl
Pro Tip: For easy clean up, line your baking tray with foil in preparation for the baking process. This way once the crab legs are done, you just have to discard the foil. I’m all about minimal cleaning!
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a small saucepan, on medium low heat, add all the ingredients for the butter and simmer for 5-10 minutes so that the flavors are able to fully develop.
Next, place the snow crab clusters on the baking tray and using a basting brush, brush the butter on both sides of the crab. Really saturate them.
Place the baking tray into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. After this time, baste the crab clusters on both sides again and place back into the oven for an additional 10 minutes.
Once the snow crab is done baking, pour the remaining butter into a dipping bowl to serve along side your hot and juicy clusters.
That’s all she wrote folks! I really hope you make this. I know I have a few seafood recipes on my blog, but if you don’t try any of those, I implore you to do this one. And, when you do, you know what to do; comment below your results.
