How Long To Bake Pre Cooked Crab Legs

Baked King Crab - King crab is everyone's favorite crustacean and this king crab recipe is baked with Sriracha lemon butter. The crab legs are so juicy, sweet, and perfect for the holidays and special occasions!

King Crab on a serving platter.

King Crab

I love Alaska king crab, especially the meaty, sweet and juicy king crab legs.

With the holiday season coming up, it's perfect time to head to your nearest Costco and load up pounds of red king crab for Thanksgiving recipes or Christmas holiday parties.

King crab legs, baked with butter.

I have the best king crab recipe for you, baked with Sriracha lemon butter. It's so crazy delicious and mouthwatering you want it every day!

Red king crab.

How to Cook King Crab?

It's super easy to make crab legs at home. Most of them are sold as crab legs; they are all pre-cooked and frozen.

All you need is a simple recipe that enhances the natural flavors of the crab. Most people will boil or steam them, and served with melted butter.

King crab recipe with Sriracha lemon butter.

To me, boiling or steaming is not the best way to cook king crab because it dilutes the natural, sweet and briny flavors of the crab.

Baking in the oven at high heat brings out mouthwatering aroma of the crab. It also roast the crab meat, remove the extra water content in the frozen crab.

A simple Sriracha lemon butter brings out the natural briny and sweet flavors of the crab meat, while enhancing the flavors.

Alaska king crab legs with juicy meat.

Cook's Tips for Alaskan King Crab

Frozen crabs are always salty so avoid using salt while cooking, boiling, steaming or baking the crab legs.
Cut or chop the king crab legs into shorter pieces. This makes them easier to eat. The shorter segments are also great for dinner parties.
For the best oven baked flavors, use a pair of scissors to cut open the top part of the shell as pictured above. This will expose the crab meat for oven roasting. It also allows the butter to sip inside the crab legs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Difference between King Crab Legs and Snow Crab Legs (Snow Crab vs King Crab)

Image Credit: Flying43 / Getty Images

Snow Crab vs. King Crab

Both crabs are popular crustacean with sweet and delightful leg meat but there are distinct differences between the two species.

Snow crab is much smaller compared to king crab. Snow crab legs have a smooth and softer shell while the latter has a thicker and spiky shell.

You don't really need a cracking tool to crack open the shells of snow crab as you can snap them open using your hands. Snow crab is also cheaper and less expensive.

Close up picture of king crab, with sweet and tender crab meat inside the crab legs.

How Many Calories Per Serving?

This recipe is only 388 calories per serving.

What to Serve with this Recipe?

Serve this dish with steak for a homemade surf and turf. For a healthy meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

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Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 lbs. (1 kg) king crab legs
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature and softened
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon sugar
3 dashes smoked paprika and more for dusting
1 tablespoon chopped parsley and/or chives

Nutrition Information

Serving Size

4 people
Amount Per Serving Calories 388 Total Fat 24g Saturated Fat 15g Cholesterol 156mg Sodium 1927mg Carbohydrates 2g Fiber 1g Sugar 2g Protein 42g

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