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
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 2-3 1x
- Category: Seafood
- Cuisine: Seafood, Gluten Free
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!
Disclaimer: there are Amazon affiliate links in this post
Colleen says
Can’t wait to try this. Never make them at home because steaming them in pots on the stove makes such a mess and the pots are a pain to clean. Will be making these for sure. Thanks!
Jessica says
We had these this last Christmas Eve, the grocery had 2 lbs on clearance for $10! They were so perfect. We used minced garlic and it was really good. I think the key is following the tempature and time to a tee, and make sure the claws don’t poke through the foil.
Sara says
Wow that’s a great deal on Crab!
Jennifer says
I bought frozen crab legs. They are currently in the fridge being thawed. Do I just follow this recipe and enjoy? I want to make sure that I don’t undercooked them and get sick. Thanks so much!
Sara says
Perfect, just follow the recipe and it’ll turn out great! Make sure your cook time is exactly what it says that way they are not under or over cooked. If they over cook they will get soggy and the shells are harder to crack open.
Riley says
Hello. Thank you for this recipe! Were your crab legs pre-cooked?
Sara says
Hey Riley, you will need to cook the crab legs as directed, they’re not pre-cooked.
Ray says
That’s wrong, crab is cooked immediately after being caught and then it is frozen.
Regina Mercer says
The ones we buy at the store say they are pre-cooked before they freeze them.
Brett says
All frozen crab comes pre-cooked, all you are doing is re-heating. No such thing as raw crab unless you work on boats!
Ashlee says
Yep. Surprising how many people don’t know this.
Terri says
Greetings from Houston! The crab clusters that we buy are always raw. This is how we prepare them every time. Perfection!
Monie says
Yeah people be camping hard those are def pre cooked all grocers sell precooked frozen crab leg clusters they don’t come out the ocean like that 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 anddddd when they do come out the ocean they bare blue when they are raw 🙄🙄
Kean says
Hello, Can I place the crab legs in a foil pan?
Sara says
Hi Kean, the crab legs steam inside the sealed foil packet. If you use a foil pan, you would want to seal the top with aluminum foil.
Sherry says
Thanks for sharing!! I tried this recipe tonight and I loved it. I added extra minced garlic because I wanted more garlic flavor. Next time, I am also going to try lemon pepper on it.
Sara says
Awesome Sherry, thanks for the feedback!
Ashley says
So simple and so amazing. I was fretting over how to prepare frozen crab because I was really looking forward to crab delicious-ness. This was simple and great. Thanks. Any ideas on frozen lobster?
Sara says
Hi Ashley, so glad you liked it! I have a lobster recipe that you can check out here: https://tastefulventure.com/perfectly-broiled-lobster-tails/ 🙂
Paulette Magarik says
Last week I prepared them exactly as directed and they were phenomenal! A huge hit, so tonight I am serving them to a different crowd here at the beach. As easy as can be to cook and clean up is a snap. Delicious recipe. Thank you.
Sara says
Thank you for this great comment Paulette! I’m glad y’all liked it:)
Jo says
Great. So easy. Made these on vacation. They are my favorite, never knew how to cook them. Thank you.
Sara says
Hey Jo, Awesome so glad you liked them!
Debra Cassey says
wrap legs in some very damp paper towels and nuke for 2 minutes. Perfect.
Lindsay Smith says
Do you slice open them open before adding the seasoning? Thanks.
Sara says
Hi Lindsay, No just leave them as is. Once they are cooked and you crack them open you will taste the flavor inside!
Melissa says
Perfect!! Thanks for sharing!
Sara says
You’re welcome! 🙂
Phyllis Bryson says
Do u put them in frozen or thawed
Sara says
Hey Phyllis, Make sure they are thawed first. I usually put them in the fridge a day before I want to cook them so they have time to thaw.
Letrenia says
Thank You The Best I Ever Made Snow Crab Legs Flamingo polishes cook chicken breast and cajun shrimps mixed vegetables with corn 10 minutes in the oven wrapping heavy form Deelishis
Sara says
🙂
Sharon Mitchell says
Very good recipe..absolutely delicious and so simple!!
Sara says
Thanks Sharon!
Tina says
I never leave comments, but felt compelled to today. I have used this recipe many times. In fact, just took my crabs out of the fridge a few minutes ago. They were on sale for a great price I couldn’t pass up. I spray mine with Pam and sprinkle with Old Bay, granulated garlic and creole seasoning. Too lazy to brush with butter which is probably better. I follow your recipe for layering, wrapping and timing. Needless to say. PERFECTION!
Carissa says
These were AMAZING, even without the old bay (grocery store was out). Better than any I’ve had at a restaurant, and like you said, way cheaper! Thanks again!
Sara says
Awesome, so glad you liked it! Next time try it with Old Bay when it’s available, gives it a really unique flavor!
Carissa says
Definitely will!
Carissa says
Awesome recipe, thank you!! Snow Crab is my husband’s favorite! I had no idea it could be so easy. Can’t wait to try this tonight!
Sara says
Great! Yes it’s super easy! 🙂
Ellen says
Great New Years Eve date night in the comfort of our home! Also bought mine on sale. Perfect!
Sara says
So glad you liked it Ellen! Yes it’s perfect for date night:)
Lorrie says
Perfect recipe for thawed snow crab that we didn’t prepare last night. Can’t wait to make today! Tnx and Happy New Year!
Sara says
Enjoy! Happy New Year!
Heather Duncan says
Would this work for 3 pounds of snow crab?
Sara says
Yes just make sure they are single layered and not overlapping when cooking.