Grilled King Crab Legs {15 Minutes} - Kitchen Laughter

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Whether you feel like trying something new or want to make an impressive spread for the holidays, grilled crab legs should be high on your list. While it isn’t the cheapest recipe I could possibly make (and I hope my wife doesn’t look at the credit card statement too closely!), it was one of the best things I made on the grill, and it took less than 15 minutes!

Contents hide 1 🦀 Ingredients 2 ⏲️ Equipment and Tools 3 🔥 Grilling Instructions 4 🧈 Charred Lemon Butter Dip Instructions 5 📝 Expert Tips 6 🦀 Substitutions 7 🥦 Serving Suggestions 8 How Much Crab Legs Per Person? 9 Recipe FAQ 10 Grilled Crab Legs

I love wandering around Whole Foods, especially the Seafood and Butcher counters. I loaded up on fresh mussels, clams, and of course these insanely delicious King Crab Legs. Hey, I am an Amazon Prime member and saved a couple of bucks per pound – so that kinda counts as frugal, right? We’ll see if that argument works with the wife.

Seafood with lemon and butter is a classic combination I will always love. So I gave it a little spin by grilling the lemons for a slightly smoky taste. Enter my charred lemon butter dip.

It really was lip-smacking!

🦀 Ingredients

Crab Legs – I chose King Crab for this meal, but Snow Crab legs work just as good. King crabs have larger and thicker legs and claws, which means there is a lot more meat in there. Snow Crabs have thinner legs, but their shells are much easier to break. It’s a tradeoff. Dungeness Crab legs are a bit shorter and are easier to find in some areas of the country.

Bottom line: It doesn’t really matter what type of crab leg you are using as they will all grill in a similar fashion.

Butter Dips – There are three options here: 1) Plain melted butter, 2) Garlic Butter, and 3) Charred Lemon Butter (the one we used this time). All of them are delish! If you want to get real swanky, you can roast garlic on the grill before adding it to your butter. Heck, if you’re in a rush and don’t have butter, you can just use plain lemon juice squeezed over the hot crabs.

⏲️ Equipment and Tools

Crab Leg Cracker Tool – There are several different varieties, but make sure you invest in a good quality tool. You will be making this recipe again! You have two choices here: 1) crack the the shells before placing them on the grill, or 2) cracking them after the grill.

Half the fun of crab legs is the work to get to the delicious meat! I will pre-crack them for younger kids or folks who may struggle a bit too much.

Ramekins – I used small ceramic ramekins for the melted butter. These are inexpensive and versatile. You can dip the grilled crab meat in the butter or use a spoon to drizzle it over top.

Grill – We love using our Big Green Egg but every grill works with this recipe. Dust off your gas grill Char Broil, Weber, Coleman, Kenmore grills and let’s make something memorable on your grill.

🔥 Grilling Instructions

Step One: Heat the grill to 375°F over direct heat.

Step Two: Clean the legs and spray them with a little bit of spray oil. You don’t need much!

Step Three: Place the legs on the grill (shell-side down) and close the lid, and let them cook for 5-7 minutes. If your legs are pre-cracked, place them shell-side down on the grill, so the exposed meat is facing upwards.

Note: If you are making the Charred Lemon Butter Dip, cut the lemons in half and place them face-down on the grill grate now. They will develop nice sear marks and will be perfect for mixing with the butter at the end of the grill.

Step Four: Turn the legs over and grill the other side for another 5-7 minutes.

Step Five: Remove them from the grill and serve immediately. Drizzle with butter, herb butter or dip it in ramekins and serve with fresh lemon juice wedges.

PRO TIP: The legs should already be a white opaque meat.

🧈 Charred Lemon Butter Dip Instructions

Charred Lemon Butter: As noted above, char the lemon halves onthe grill, at the same time with the crab legs. After they have nice sear marks, squeeze to create lemon juice and mix it into the butter for a nice, refreshing flavor.

Butter Dip Variations

Plain Butter: Melt a stick of salted butter in a cast iron pan on the grill or simply microwave it. It’s as easy as that!

Note: To make the butter “clarified” skim off the solids that float to the top of the dish as it melts. That leaves a nice ghee that is more attractive for dipping. I’ll be honest, I rarely use clarified butter for this – I just can’t taste the difference on the legs!

Garlic Butter: Chop a garlic clove and add it to the melted butter. Keep the garlic butter on low heat to keep the butter melted and give the garlic time to infuse its fantastic flavor.

📝 Expert Tips

Don’t overcook the crab legs. These are precooked, so you don’t need to worry about much other than reheating them. If you do grill them too long, they will dry out. Fortunately, these are pretty forgiving!

Pre-Crack or Post-Crack. That is the question. If you are concerned that your guests will have a tough time cracking the shell, you should crack or cut it before placing it on the grill. The benefit of this is that you can take your time, and you don’t have to worry about everyone sharing a crab cracker. For me, I figured my family could do it themselves after they were off the grill! 😀

If you grilled too many (which RARELY happens!) pick out the meat and store it in a Ziploc bag. I try to eat it all the next day as a salad topping, but you can freeze it for a short amount of time.

🦀 Substitutions

Type of crab options that you can grill successfully:

King Crab: The photos here are for Alaskan King Crab legs. These are the most expensive variety I have found and they are harvested primarily off of Alaska in a highly regulated fishing industry. These have thick shells and can grow extremely large. The meat is sweet and delicate.

Snow Crab: This is the most common crab leg and is long and thin. The shells are easier to crack which is why you’ll see it served more often in restaurants. You may see it also called “Rock Crab”

Dungeness Crab: This crab is harvested from the west coast of the United States and is typically 12-20″ across. You will most likely see this offered whole at seafood counters, but most of the meat is found in the legs. You would steam or grill this whole.

Blue Crab: This variety is found primarily on the east coast in Chesapeake Bay and has a distinctive light and flaky taste and texture. I have had more luck steaming these and letting my guests pick them at a BBQ.

Stone and Jonah Crab Claws: These are true delicacies and you should grab them when you can find them in season. Both are found on the east coast of the United States and are usually only available during the in-season. They are a delicate flavor and work perfectly when paired with a light melted butter.

🥦 Serving Suggestions

This is a light dinner with subtle seafood flavors. Pair it with a light vegetable side dish as well.

When serving these for the holidays, serve this with a holiday punch or a bottle of Prosecco. Light beers work great with these as Pale Lager or Pale Ale.

Grilled Carrots are a quick recipe at the flavor’s won’t overpower the crab legs.

Beer Corn is a perennial favorite! There is just something about eating grilled corn with crab legs, right?

Bacon-Wrapped Green Bean Bundles are perfect for a party. They are easy to portion control, and fun to pick up to eat. Who doesn’t just love bacon, anyways?

How Much Crab Legs Per Person?

Plan on one pound of crab legs per person if you are serving other sides with it, or if this is an appetizer before serving the main course.

If you are planning on the grilled crab legs to be the main course, plan on 1 ½ pounds per person.

Recipe FAQ

If I buy frozen crab legs, do I have to defrost them?

Yes, you do. You want to make sure they cook evenly. Place the in the refrigerator overnight in a deep dish. As these thaw, they will release water and you don’t want them to leak all over the fridge.

If I have frozen crab legs, what is the quickest way to thaw them?

Put them in the sink full of water for about a half hour and then proceed with the recipe. Ideally, you can take them out of the freezer the night before.

What is the best way to open up crab legs?

If you don’t have access to crab shell shears or crab cracker, pull out your kitchen shears and start working them open with those. The shell isn’t that hard and it won’t break your kitchen shears.

Help! My crab legs are frozen but the grill is fired up and ready to go! What should I do?

Instead of placing the crab legs straight on the grill grate, wrap them in a foil pack and cook for 15-20 minutes and they will come out fabulous! Remember, you are trying to heat them up as they are already cooked.

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Grilled Crab Legs

This crab leg recipe is a simple and amazingly delicious seafood treat. It includes a few ideas for dipping in butter, but to be honest, it tastes perfect without any butter! 5 from 1 vote Print Pin Rate Course: Main CourseCuisine: AmericanDiet: Vegetarian Prep Time: 2 minutes minutesCook Time: 15 minutes minutesTotal Time: 17 minutes minutes Servings: 4 people Calories: 191kcal Author: Jason

Equipment

• ▢ Crab Cracker
• ▢ Ramekins

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 lbs King Crab Legs
• ▢ Spray Olive Oil

Garlic Butter

• ▢ 1 clove Garlic finely chopped
• ▢ ⅓ cup Butter melted

Charred Lemon Butter

• ▢ 1 Lemon cut in half
• ▢ ⅓ cup Butter melted

Instructions

Grilling the Crab Legs

• If your crab legs are frozen, let them thaw before grilling.
• Heat your grill to 375°F over direct heat. You definitely want the temperature to be on the hot side.
• Spray the crab legs with olive oil. You don't need much!
• Place the legs on the grill for 5-7 minutes and turn them over. Also place the halved lemons on the grill if you're doing the charred lemon butter (see instructions below).
• These are precooked from the store, so you just need to reheat them without over cooking.
• Serve immediately!

Charred Lemon Butter

• Slice lemons in half and place them cut-side down on the grill. You can grill them at the same time with the crab legs.
• Remove them when you remove the crab legs. They should have nice sear marks on them.
• Squeeze some of the juice into the melted butter and dip your crab legs in it! Yum!!!

Notes

Watch for hot spots: Without the plate setter on the grill, it will develop hot spots. Move the crab legs around to make sure they are evenly cooked. Avoid Overcooking: Do not over cook the crab or they will become dry and rubbery. This is a fast grill recipe and you are really aiming for quick temperature rise. Pre-Cracking: If you know your guests will have trouble cracking the tougher shells of the King Crab, spend a few minutes to crack them before you place them on the grill. These are not soft shells like Snow Crabs, so you definitely will need to work to get the meat! Quick Thaw Method: Put them in the sink full of water for about a half hour and then proceed with the recipe. Ideally, you can take them out of the freezer the night before. Foil Method for Frozen Crab Legs: Instead of placing the crab legs straight on the grill grate, wrap the FROZEN CRAB in a foil pack and cook for 15-20 minutes and they will come out fabulous! Remember, you are trying to heat them up as they are already cooked.

Nutrition

Calories: 191kcal | Protein: 41g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 1896mg | Potassium: 463mg | Vitamin A: 54IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 1mg Tried this recipe?Mention @kitchenlaughter or tag #kitchenlaughter! Jason Collins

Jason’s been firing up the grill for over 30 years after graduating from the US Coast Guard Academy. His love of finely-grilled steak and chicken led him to buy his first Weber grill to put on his apartment patio in 1992. Each military move led to a new grill (a mixture of gas and charcoal) until he fell in love with the Big Green Egg in 2008. Since then, he has added another 4 grills to the collection. Yes, he has a problem. Jason loves smoking in the ceramic BGE with exotic woods including olive wood from Egypt and hard to find varieties such as sassafras and orange wood. Jason takes the term “foodie” to a whole new level, jumping at the chance to take food tours and cooking classes during foreign travels. These have provided inspiration to incorporate new ideas into recipes when he gets back home. He has been featured in Fox News, Parade, Yahoo News, Kansas City Living and more. After retiring from the military and moving to southwest Florida, he has focused grilling and smoking locally sourced meats and fish (read: he likes to catch his own fish!)

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