Let me show you how ridiculously easy it is to make an amazing crab leg dinner at home. We take you through every step so you’ll know how to choose quality crab legs, how much to buy, and the absolute best way to cook them.
© Bhofack2 | Dreamstime.com
Make amazing crab legs at home for half the cost of dining out.
Menu prices vary, but you can expect to pay somewhere between $35-$55 for a crab legs dinner at a restaurant, depending on the type of crab and weight offered.
If you have a Costco or Sam’s Club membership, it’s worth checking there for a reasonably sized package. Often on the weekends, Costco has crab legs available individually at their seafood kiosk rather than in larger quantities.
Kroger and Whole Foods are also accommodating in this way which makes it easy to buy just what you need and is far better on a budget.
The prices at any of these stores range between $16-24 per pound, depending on the type of crab and seasonal sales.
How much crab do you get from crab legs?
The yield for crab legs is about 50% meat, so if you purchase 16-24 ounces for two people, you will end up with between 8-12 ounces of crab meat.
That is roughly 4-6 ounces per person.
Calculating TIP: Don’t worry about figuring out amounts if you’re serving more than 2. Simply adjust the servings in the recipe below and it does the math for you!
For us, that is always enough because the meat is so rich and we prepare two side dishes or save room for dessert.
The bottom line is you can enjoy a fabulous dinner for two at home for about $60, including wine.
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds (16-24 ounces) of crab legs (about $25), including garlic butter
- two of the recommended side dishes below ($6-8)
- dessert, homemade or purchased ($5)
- Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio or Chateau Ducasse Bordeaux Blanc ($18-23)
Do you know how easy it is to cook crab legs?
It’s ridiculously easy. In the oven for less than 15 minutes, easy. Barely enough time to sip a little wine, easy.
No kidding. I wouldn’t even call it cooking since they’re already cooked, and you’re simply reheating (recipe below).
Yes, they’re all pre-cooked unless you’re buying live crab.
As long as your side dish is quick too, dinner is on the table in under 20 minutes because garlic butter doesn’t take long to melt and release its heavenly bouquet.
How-To Prepare a Crab Leg Dinner:
Buying Crab Legs
The yield for crab legs is about 50% meat, so if you purchase 16-24 ounces for two people you will end up with between 8-12 ounces of crab meat, roughly 4-6 ounces serving size per person.
Snow Crab (shown in the second photo) has a smooth shell that is relatively easy to handle or even cut with scissors before serving.
It is harvested during the winter from January through March. The meat is sweet and silky, delicately hidden but easy to capture.
King Crab (shown in the first photo) is quite a specimen with its spiny, hard shells, and considerably longer legs.
It is harvested from the North Pacific and the Bering Sea from November through February, and during brief periods in July and September.
The meat is sweet and substantial due to the size of the legs—once you get to it, you’ll have prized, man-pleasing bites of crab.
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We’re talking about frozen or previously frozen crab here—it’s already cooked—and the most readily available.
If you are lucky enough to live in a location where live crabs are coming off the boat and your fish monger is cooking them fresh for you, kudos!
For the rest of us, they ALL arrive frozen at the store and the ones you see in the case at the seafood counter have simply been defrosted.
Unless I am preparing the crab legs the same day, I buy them frozen. You want them to taste as fresh as possible, so it’s best that they aren’t lounging in the fridge long after being defrosted.
Look for crab legs bright in color and relatively free of clumps of ice crystals or freezer burn. In the photo below you can see the ice looks more like a glaze, which is ideal.
Crab meat is delicate and won’t taste fresh if the crab has been in the freezer too long or allowed to defrost and refreeze (which means you don’t want to refreeze yours either).
Photo by © Kan1234 | Dreamstime.com
Cooking / Reheating Crab Legs
You can grill, boil, or steam crab legs but there is nothing easier than the oven method described below, and it’s the best way to keep them warm without drying them out if you’re waiting for a side dish.
Oven Method: Allow crab legs to defrost in the refrigerator overnight and briefly rinse with cold water. Score or cut King Crab shells before heating with crab & seafood shears or a good pair of kitchen shears. Snow Crab shells are softer and easier to break and eat at the table.
I carry no guilt over the copious amount of butter the briny, sweet crab meat soaks up like a sponge.
- 16-24 ounces crab legs whole legs or segments
- water or beer
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 1/2 lemon cut into wedges
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange crab legs in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet.
- Pour about a cup of water or beer into the bottom of the pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake in the center of the oven for 8-10 minutes—you will begin to smell them when done.
- Remove from oven, carefully fold back a corner of the foil to vent. Serve on the pan with the crab partially covered to keep it warm longer, or remove the foil completely and transfer to a large platter or bowl. Squeeze lemon wedges over crab when served. Dip crab into butter and swoon.
- Place butter and crushed garlic in a small oven-safe dish and slide into the oven with the crab legs on a separate rack (above or below doesn't matter). The butter should be melted when the crab is ready.
- Divide into smaller, individual ramekins or share the same dish for dipping.
Tips for Cracking Crab Legs
Depending on the type of crab, getting through the shell barrier can land somewhere between frustrating and painful.
- Scoring or cutting King Crab shells before reheating with crab & seafood shears or a good pair of kitchen shears will make cracking them at the table a breeze.
- Provide two extra cloth napkins (one for each hand) or small towels for each person when serving King Crab. Even if you score the shells, a napkin helps protect hands.
To free the meat in whole segments, start at the smallest joint and work your way up the leg, as such:
- Grab the leg on each side of the joint and bend backward to separate; as you pull the segments apart, there is a thin tendon that should stay attached to the joint as you pull it out of the larger section.
- Holding the single segment between both hands, use your thumbs to apply pressure as you bend it just enough to break one side (you don’t want to rip it in half); turn the leg segment over and repeat on the other side for a clean break without breaking the meat.
- Pull the shell apart to expose the meat and then gently pull the crab meat out of the shell.
- Crack the claws with a crab tool or nut cracker by squeezing the shell with the tool until the shell can be pried open with your fingers.
Tips for Cracking Crab Legs
Depending on the type of crab, getting through the shell barrier can land somewhere between frustrating and painful.
Scoring or cutting King Crab shells before reheating with crab & seafood shears or a good pair of kitchen shears will make cracking them at the table a breeze.
Provide two extra cloth napkins (one for each hand) or small towels for each person when serving King Crab. Even if you score the shells, a napkin helps protect hands.
It’s okay if you don’t have crab cracking tools, a nut cracker works too (it’s what we use).
To free the meat in whole segments, start at the smallest joint and work your way up the leg, as such:
- Grab the leg on each side of the joint and bend backward to separate; as you pull the segments apart, there is a thin tendon that should stay attached to the joint as you pull it out of the larger section.
- Holding the single segment between both hands, use your thumbs to apply pressure as you bend it just enough to break one side (you don’t want to rip it in half); turn the leg segment over and repeat on the other side for a clean break without breaking the meat.
- Pull the shell apart to expose the meat and then gently pull the crab meat out of the shell.
- Crack the claws with a crab tool or nut cracker by squeezing the shell with the tool until the shell can be pried open with your fingers.
Side Dishes for Crab Legs Dinner
When choosing a side dish for your crab leg dinner you want bright, clean flavors to balance the richness of the crab and easy to eat with your fingers.
You can just feel stress melting away, right?!
Side dishes you can eat with your hands.
Roasted Asparagus
Brussels Sprouts
Rosemary Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Risotto Cakes
Sweet Potato Fritters
Cheesy Quinoa & Broccoli Patties
Crispy Smashed Roasted Potatoes
Crudité Platter
They’ll even taste good dipped in the garlic butter.
If you don’t mind picking up a fork, these side dishes balance the sweet crab:
Roasted Beets with Blackberry-Ginger Balsamic & Feta
Spinach-Strawberry Salad
Citrus Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts and Orange-Dijon Dressing
And don’t forget dessert!
We love Double Chocolate Truffles and Cheesecake Strawberries because they are crazy good, simple to make, and maintain the eat-with-your-hands theme.
Bring even more WOW with one of these Valentine’s Day Desserts to impress from start to finish.
All you need now is a hot, damp towel for your hands—simply wet washcloths with warm water and keep warm in a slow cooker until dinner is done.
Recipes for leftover crab meat:
Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms
Jalapeno & Gouda Crab Dip
Crab Salad with Pear and Hazelnuts
Eggs Benedict with Crab & Asparagus
Crab Stuffed Whitefish
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Wow you made me drooling, I love crabs and I will do anything for it. To bad we dont have large variants here only the paddle crabs and if there are it would be really expensive
This is the best post on crab legs that I’ve ever read. You’re right – who wants a date with someone who pics at their food. For me, he has to be a food lover and be serious about it. 🙂
Thank you, Maureen, that means a lot. MWAH! 🙂
Such a great,informative post, Judy. Much like John, I cannot tell you the last time I prepared crab legs at home. They do make a great celebratory dinner and I should consider preparing them again. You’re right,too, about Costco having them at reasonable prices. Living as far from a coast as I do, there’s virtually no chance of ever seeing fresh crab legs at a fish monger. Your tips for detecting the freshest of the frozen will come in handy. ThaksQ
Yup, when looking for a mate you want one who delights you with her happiness. And vice versa, of curse! Love crab legs, and it’s been ages since we’ve made them at home. You’ve definitely inspired me — thanks!