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Crave juicy grilled crab legs with garlic butter? This easy 30-minute recipe delivers tender, restaurant-quality seafood right at home! I'll show you how to grill crab legs to perfection!
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Living in Florida, I don't wait for summer to fire up the grill! Whenever that sunshine calls, I'm out back cooking dinner - and one recipe my family always requests is grilled crab legs. Whether steamed or grilled, crab legs are always on repeat.
Grilling crab legs brings out a flavor that's hard to beat. The smoky char, paired with my luscious garlic butter sauce, creates an irresistible taste sensation. Plus, they cook in under 30 minutes!
Pair them with tartar sauce, homemade remoulade, or just a simple squeeze of lemon, and you have a seafood dinner that's unbeatable.
Ingredients for Grilling Crab Legs
- Crab Legs: You can use king crab legs, snow crab legs, or Dungeness crab legs for grilling. I'm using king crab legs for this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite.
- Butter Dipping Sauce: Use my garlic butter sauce, cowboy butter, or creamy lemon butter sauce as a dip for crab legs. All are delicious choices for serving with crab! For a simple garlic butter, you'll need garlic (fresh or dried), butter, and parsley.
- Lemon Wedges: After mixing my garlic butter sauce, I like to use the remaining parsley to top the grilled king crab legs with along with a squeeze of lemon juice. It adds an extra layer of flavor that is just irresistible.
Using Frozen Crab Legs
If you use frozen crab legs, let them thaw in cold water or simply leave them out at room temperature while your grill heats up. They can still be a little frozen when you grill them.
How to Grill Crab Legs
- Preheat your grill to medium heat (between 350°F to 375°F).
- Split 3 pounds of crab legs and place them on a baking sheet split-side up.
- Combine the ingredients to make garlic butter sauce in a bowl using a spoon. Use melted butter so you have a sauce.
- Gently spoon the garlic butter over the meat of the crab legs. Reserve additional butter for serving after grilling crab legs.
- Place the split crab legs on the grill, shell-side down. Close the lid and grill for approximately 10 minutes or until the crab is cooked through. Crab leg meat is cooked when it is reddish-orange and opaque.
- Remove from the grill and serve with the delicious garlic butter sauce and fresh lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Easy, right? Once you know how to cook king crab legs on the grill, I guarantee you're going to want to make them this way every time. The flavor of the crab meat with the garlic butter sauce is just incredible.
Splitting the Crab Shell
To split the shell, simply cut them lengthwise with kitchen shears to open up the leg and reveal the meat on one side. Cut through the whitish part of the shell - this part is softer.
What to Serve with Grilled Crab Legs
There is nothing better than a Surf and Turf combination when serving crab legs. It is the ultimate combination of flavors! Try these:
Storing Leftover Crab Legs
Store leftover grilled crab legs in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Comprehensive Guide to Cooking Crab Legs
For more info, tips, and recipes for crab legs, check out my full guide on How to Make Crab Legs! It's comprehensive and has everything you need to know to cook crab legs perfectly.
How to Reheat Grilled Crab Legs
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Fill a casserole dish with approximately ½-inch of water.
- Place the crab legs in the dish.
- Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and poke holes on top to let out the steam .
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Serve with garlic butter and enjoy!
This grilled crab legs recipe is so fast and easy. Shell-on crab legs go straight onto the hot grill, get brushed with garlic butter, and in minutes, you're done.
Truly, this is one of the most satisfying recipes for seafood on the grill - big flavor, minimal effort, and a taste that'll have everyone asking for more! It's sure to become a staple.
Trust me - once you try them, you'll want to grill crab legs all year long!
Grilled Crab Legs
Ingredients
- 3 pounds king crab legs - or snow crab legs, or dungeness crab legs
- 1 serving garlic butter sauce recipe
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to medium. Split the shells of 3 pounds of crab legs and place them on a baking sheet split-side up.3 pounds king crab legs
- Combine the ingredients to make garlic butter sauce in a bowl using a spoon. Use melted butter so you have a sauce.1 serving garlic butter sauce recipe
- Gently spoon the garlic butter over the meat of the crab legs. Reserve additional butter for serving after grilling crab legs.
- Place the split crab legs on the grill, shell-side down. Close the lid and grill for approximately 10 minutes or until the crab is cooked through. Crab leg meat is cooked when it is reddish-orange and opaque.
- Remove from the grill and serve with the delicious garlic butter sauce and fresh lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure to reserve additional garlic butter after spooning it onto the crab meat so you have extra to serve the grilled king crab legs with when they’re done grilling. It is just so flavorful!
- I love to grill crab legs along with beef for a surf and turf pairing. My favorite choice has to be either Grilled Beef Short Ribs or Portuguese Beef Skewers!
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