This flavorful grilled crab leg recipe features your choice of garlic butter or Cajun sauce and works beautifully with Alaskan King, Snow Crab, or Dungeness crab.
Grilled Crab Legs
Grilling takes about 10–15 minutes for smaller legs and 15–20 minutes for larger ones. You’ll know they’re ready when they’re hot all the way through and start to steam. It’s about the same amount of time you’d spend making baked crab legs.
Making crab legs on the grill is quick and easy to prepare since most crab sold in grocery stores is pre-cooked—either frozen or thawed from frozen.
Crab Sauces
While garlic butter sauce and cajun sauce are the most popular, there are loads of other dipping sauces that work with seafood recipes:
Tip – brush the exposed body of the crab with half the garlic butter sauce or cajun sauce before grilling to infuse a bit of extra flavor in that portion of the meat.
Recipe Tips
After making crab legs on the grill countless times, here are my top tips to keep in mind:
- For best results, thaw crab legs in the refrigerator overnight. They need at least 8 hours and will stay fresh for up to 1–2 days once thawed.
- When grilling, set your timer to the low end of the suggested range and check for doneness early to avoid overcooking.
- Check the color of the meat—it should be pearly white and fully opaque. Don’t rely on the shell’s color, as it doesn’t accurately reflect internal temperature.
- Use a crab cracker, nutcracker, mallet, or kitchen shears to open the shells.
- Add leftover crab meat to dishes like Kani Salad, Lobster Ravioli Sauce or Lobster Cakes for a rich, decadent twist. They would also work in any of these imitation crab recipes.
Grilled Crab Legs
This flavorful grilled crab leg recipe features your choice of garlic butter or Cajun sauce and works beautifully with Alaskan King, Snow Crab, or Dungeness crab.
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 381kcal
Cost: $30
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Ingredients
Snow Crab Legs
- 2 lbs Snow Crab Legs (*Note 1)
- Melted Butter and Lemon Slices, For Serving
Alaskan King Crab Legs
- 1½ lbs King Crab Legs (*Note 1)
- Melted Butter and Lemon Slices, For Serving
Instructions
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Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat (around 375°F).
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Place thawed crab legs directly on the grill and close the lid.
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Grill For:Snow Crab: 10-15 MinutesAlaskan King Crab: 15-20 Minutes
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Remove from the grill when hot throughout and serve immediately with melted butter and lemon wedges or a dipping sauce.
Notes
Note 2 – Flavor Boost: brush the exposed body of the crab with half the garlic butter sauce or cajun sauce before grilling to infuse extra flavor in that portion.
Nutritional information is for 2 lbs of snow crabs with no dipping sauces or seasonings.
Nutrition
Calories: 381kcal | Protein: 83g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 191mg | Sodium: 3792mg | Potassium: 925mg | Vitamin A: 109IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 209mg | Iron: 3mg
