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We don’t eat crab legs often, but when we do, we go all out. King crab is, arguably, the best crab just because there is so much more meat than, say, snow crab. Dungeness is pretty tasty as well, but, again, more work and less reward than a king crab. And this Garlic Butter King Crab Legs recipe is my absolute favorite way to eat King Crab legs.

Sure, you could dunk the crab meat into some plain Jane melted butter and call it a day. The meat of a King crab is flavorful enough that it would be good. But if you’re going to spend this much on crab legs, don’t settle for good. Go for amazing.

For this Garlic Butter King Crab Legs recipe, you’ll notice that the crab meat of the legs are exposed. That was done using a sharp pair of kitchen shears. It’s super simple. Monotonous and takes a little time, but simple. All that you have to do is cut two lines up the length of the crab legs and carefully pull the shell off. If some of the meat comes off with the shell, just simply stuff it back in.

With the meat exposed, it can more easily soak up some of that delicious garlicky, lemony butter. The crab meat is so flavorful… and so much easier to eat this way too. Seriously, throw those crab leg crackers away because you won’t need them anymore. This will totally become your favorite way to eat crab legs from now on.

Let me show you how I made these Garlic Butter King Crab Legs 👇🏻

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Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt 1/2 cup unsalted butter.

To the melted butter, add 3 finely minced garlic cloves, 1 tbsp lemon zest, 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, and 1/2 tsp paprika. Give it a stir.

Lay out your 2 lbs of (thawed) King crab legs on a cutting board. Using sharp kitchen shears, cut the crab legs open like in the picture below. You may want to wear a glove on one hand to hold the legs while you cut them.

I’m not going to lie, this part is a total pain, BUT it is so worth it. The butter will soak into the crab meat as it reheats AND it will be so easy to eat when done!! No cracking open the legs while you’re trying to eat.

Lay the snipped crab legs out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (cut-side up).

Brush the crab legs with the butter (reserving some to serve them with at the end).

Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the crab legs bright red and the crab meat is hot.

Serve with the extra garlic butter on the side.

And a few lemon wedges as well.

Enjoy!!

These are the recommended products that I used to make this delicious recipe! These are not only products that I use, but products that I love.

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Have you tried this recipe? Thinking about it? I’d love to hear from you! Please leave me your thoughts below in the comment section. (Your email will not be published).