Steamed Crab Legs With Garlic Butter Sauce Recipe

Nothing says luxury quite like buttery, tender crab meat. We often consider crab legs a delicacy because of their price, but in truth, they are one of the easiest, messiest, and most hands-on meals to both make and eat. Eaten directly from the shell using a skillful maneuver of crab mallets and kitchen shears, the meat is supple, flavorful, and soft, often dipped into butter to be made even richer. Crab meat is nearly foolproof in that it is delicious no matter what, but with the right recipe, it can be exactly as luxurious as the price tag suggests.

The best way to make crab legs that separate cleanly away from the shell is by steaming them, which infuses flavor slowly and delicately while warming the meat. To enhance the mild and buttery flavor of the crab, this recipe, written with developer Michelle McGlinn, calls for crab legs to be steamed over a broth of sherry and tarragon, combining a sprinkling of Cajun seasoning into the broth for a hint of warm, spicy flavor. Served with a melted garlic butter, these crab legs are worth the splurge — and they're so easy you can even enjoy them any day of the week.

The first and most important ingredient you will need is crab legs. This recipe works for both snow and king crab legs, and needs only to be adjusted to accommodate the cook time for larger pieces. King crab legs are large, meaty, and generally more expensive than snow crabs, which are thinner and less dense. Somewhere in between are jumbo snow crab legs, which offer a little more meat than standard snow crabs for a little less money than kings. You can find them fresh or frozen, but if frozen, plan to thaw the crabs before using.

To make the recipe, you'll need butter, garlic, sherry, Cajun seasoning, parsley, tarragon, salt, pepper, and chicken broth. You can also use fish or vegetable broth (or even water) in place of chicken broth, and you can swap an anise liquor like Pernod for a more herbal-forward flavor. For serving, grab some lemon wedges and parsley for added fresh flavor.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large stock pot over medium heat, then add 4 minced garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the sherry and stir it into the garlic. Let cook for 1 minute.

Add the chicken broth, Cajun seasoning, tarragon, and parsley, and bring to a low boil.

Place a steamer basket into the stock pot, ensuring it sits above the water and add the crab legs

Cover the pot and steam until the crab legs are bright in color, about 8 to 10 minutes.

In the meantime, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan.

Add the remaining 2 cloves minced garlic, salt, and pepper, and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Serve the crab legs with the garlic butter.

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Buying crab legs can be tricky because they come in many different sizes. A standard snow crab is fairly thin, often only yielding a small amount of meat within each leg. Jumbo snow crabs are more filling; often one cluster should be plenty for one person if served with light sides. King crabs are large enough to be eaten on their own, without the need for large or filling sides to supplement the meal. How much you buy of each depends on your appetite and the rest of your meal.

We recommend starting with 4 pounds of crab clusters, which will amount to about 4 regular-sized snow crab clusters or 2 to 3 clusters of jumbo and king crab. For this, you'll want to serve the crab with hearty sides like pasta, mashed potatoes, or even another entree like steak. If you plan to serve the crab as the main event, purchase upwards of 6 to 8 pounds, which will guarantee 1 ½ to 2 pounds of crab per person. If you aren't sure how much your guests will eat, serve the crab legs broken apart from the cluster so that everyone can choose their own serving size (just make sure each guest gets a claw).

While the equipment for steaming crab legs can seem complicated, the legs can actually be steamed easily without any fancy equipment at all. If you have a stock pot but no steamer basket, simply follow the recipe as written, and when directed to add the crab to a steamer basket, add them instead to a metal colander and lower them into the pot. If you don't have a colander with a stand, you can be even more inventive and cook yourself some tasty side at the same time: make the broth, then add corn and potatoes to the bottom of the pot. Once the corn stacks high enough that the liquid is no longer visible, add the crab legs and steam.

If you don't have a stock pot, you can still make crab legs, though it might be a little less efficient. A Dutch oven will work, but you may need to cut the broth amount in half to ensure there is space between the crab and the liquid. You can also use an Instant Pot with the included metal trivet, ensuring again that the crabs aren't submerged in any liquid. Pressure cook the crabs for less than a minute to produce steam, then release the pressure and open to perfectly cooked crabs.

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