Easy Baked Snow Crab that cooks perfectly in 10 minutes while wrapped inside a foil packet! Each claw cracks easily in half, so you get big meaty chunks of crab every time.
Cooking Snow Crab used to be super intimidating for me. I would be so afraid of under or over cooking them.
Over the years I’ve tried cooking them every way possible and have finally figured out that baking them is the easiest.
I added 2 Snow Crab clusters to each large sheet of tin foil. You don’t want more than that in each foil pack because you want to keep them in a single layer and not overlapping each other, that way they cook evenly.
Then I brushed the Crab Legs with melted butter and garlic.
Sprinkled some 
And there it is! Crab Legs that crack perfectly in half!
The big meaty pieces just pull right out, no digging in the shell trying to dig out stringy pieces of crab that are stuck.
If you get Snow Crab when it’s on sale this can be a relatively cheap date night at home. They usually go on sale around the holidays. Right now they are on sale at my local grocery store for $7.99 a pound, I’m guessing this is due to Valentine’s Day coming up!
I actually made these for my son’s 14th birthday. Snow Crab is his ultimate favorite meal, but I knew if we went out to eat this at a restaurant I would’ve ended up spending a whole lot of $$$ for this meal.
I purchased 2 lbs for us which was plenty (figure about a pound per person which is roughly 2 clusters). Served it with some mash potatoes, veggies, and gluten free garlic bread. I think the whole meal cost under $25!
Saving money makes me happy!
If you try this recipe let me know what you think! Leave a comment, rate it, share it on social media, or take a picture and tag it #tastefulventure on Instagram! I LOVE seeing what you guys cook up.
Bon Appetit!
Easy Baked Snow Crab
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Snow Crab thawed
- 1/4 cup melted Butter
- 1 Tbs minced Garlic
- 2 Tbs Old Bay Seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place thawed Snow Crab on a large piece of tin foil (you may need to use 2 sheets of foil), place the clusters next to each other in a single layer.
- In a small bowl mix the melted Butter and Garlic.
- Brush Garlic Butter over Snow Crab.
- Sprinkle Old Bay Seasoning over Snow Crab.
- Carefull seal up the tin foil making sure not to puncture any holes in it with the crab.
- Place on a baking sheet in case of holes or leaks in the foil.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Serve with more melted butter for dipping.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Disclaimer: there are Amazon affiliate links in this post
Cyndi says
If frozen takes 20-25 minutes. Very good recipe
Steve W says
I never thought to bake crab legs. I wanted some tonight and came across this prep method.
I thawed 5 clusters (I stock up when it’s on sale), put 3 in one disposable pan (9×13), 2 in the other.
In a small pot, I simmered some minced garlic until fragrant. I added a 1/2 stick of butter and let it simmer. Brushed the mixture over the clusters and dusted with Old Bay. Wrapped them tight with foil.
Baked at 450° for 10 minutes.
Served with the other half stick of melted butter.
Paired with some seasoned diced potatoes tossed in butter flavored EVOO, dried rosemary, smoked paprika, course ground kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic and onion powder, as well as some Lancaster PA sweet corn we blanched, cut, and froze, and it was delicious!
Also went well with a nice dry Rosé.
Thank you for sharing this method. So much easier than boiling.
Jane D says
Yum! And you are so right that baking is the way to go!
Sara says
Thank you Jane!
Jen says
I don’t know how to post an original comment here. But I just made this using 1 pound of snow crab legs. And just halved the butter and seasoning. I cooked them in my air fryer at 400 for 10 minutes and they came out perfect. I will always cook them this way from now on. Thank you so much for this great recipe!
Long says
Sounds yummy….would you need to cook longer for King Crab?
Sara says
You could definitely cook King Crab the same way. Cooking time will depend on the size of the claws. The internal temperature of the crab should be 160 degrees F. You can check the temp at the base of the claw at the joint.
Long says
I made the recipe, following the directions. It was delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe, it’s a keeper!
Sara says
Thank you:)
Jim says
I’m using frozen crab as well I’m adding corn ears and potatoes. Should I have water in the pot with everything I don’t want the corn dried out
Bry says
If i use frozen crab but dont have the time to thaw how long should i cook them
Sara says
I would try 10-15 minutes for frozen crab.
Linda says
How would I want it for a crowd, like 10 lbs. ?
Sara says
Hi Linda, It really depends on the people you are feeding and what you are serving with the crab legs. If they are crab lovers I would go with maybe 1 1/2 pounds per person. If you have some big eaters you might want to go with 2 pounds per person. If you are serving other things with this meal and your guests are not big eaters, then you might be able to get by with 1 pound per person.
Be sure to let me know how it all turns out!
Lisa says
I can’t believe how wonderful these are. After years of steaming them in big pots( what a mess to clean the pots) I started cooking them in the oven, sometimes okay, sometimes not so much. These are perfect every time. Great technique & recipe!
Sara says
Thanks for the great feedback Lisa! Yes this is so much easier and less messy, it’s the only way I make them now:)
Melissa says
Agree with all of the above comments: this is a great, easy recipe with lots of room to experiment and make it your own. I use some high quality olive oil, Tony Sachere’s (Cajun seasoning), and make brown butter for dipping sauce, which REALLY knocks the flavor out of this world. Thanks for the great recipe!
Sara says
Thanks for the great feedback Melissa!!!
Teri says
I’m wondering, why butter and season a shell? It’s not like it goes in your mouth or goes through to the meat? I’ve saw a few recipes suggest this. And since you fouling them, doesn’t the moisture, in a sense, actually steam them? I just put them on a cookie sheet and plop them in the oven. No mess no waste.
Sara says
Hi Teri, The butter and seasoning really give the crab legs a wonderful flavor. Try it and let me know what you think!
Tessa says
Hello! I have king crab legs. Should i do more than 10 minutes
Sara says
Hi Tessa,
I have not tried this method with King Crab, I would say anywhere from 10-15 minutes for these.
Crab Dynasty says
Thank you for posting an easy way to prepare snow crab legs. It is good to know, becuase I never want to buy and ruin them. They are awful if they are overcooked. I followed these steps and they came out great.
Sara says
Yes I’m all about making cooking easy! Glad you liked it!
Angi says
Made this today for my 10 year old son. He requested I leave the following review: you should all try this, it’s the best ever. If you don’t try it you’ll be sad and it’ll be your own fault!
Sara says
Awe that’s so sweet! Tell him Thank You! 🙂