Fried King Crab Legs With Garlic Butter Recipe 2025

Boiling and steaming are the two most common ways to cook king crab legs.

Today, we will introduce a new recipe that brings your experience to the next level: fried king crab legs with garlic butter.

There are three steps in the process. Let’s follow us, and you just need 20 minutes to serve yourself a terrific dish!

How to Cook Fried King Crab Legs with Garlic Butter

You just cannot beat the texture and flavor of fried king crab legs, which have a delicate, succulent interior and a crispy exterior.

Although you have various options, selecting king crab will produce even more juicy flesh. Hence, it’s ideal for you to sauté them before dipping them in garlic butter sauce.

There are three main steps in the cooking process. We will explain each step in detail.

Step 1: Prepare Crab Legs

Crack the crab legs at their joints carefully to avoid tearing the meat. Since the shells are sharp, remember to wear gloves to crack them.

If the joints are smaller, kitchen shears can help. Use them to cut and open the crab shell lengthwise and remove the crab meat.

Now, you need to make the batter. Mixing cornmeal and flour will create a crisp coating on the king crab legs. Flour plays a vital role in the recipe, preventing the coating from sliding off the meat.

We like Old Bay as an all-purpose ingredient in our seafood dishes, along with some hot sauce and garlic salt to enhance the flavor. But you can adjust the seasonings depending on your taste.

Our recipe is to mix hot sauce, eggs, garlic salt, and Old Bay seasonings in a mixing bowl. Then stir them thoroughly.

Dip the king crab legs into the mixture. Next, dredge them in the flour until they have an even flour coating.

Place all the dipped king crab legs on a wire rack. They are now ready to fry.

Step 2: Prepare Garlic Butter Sauce

You can perform this step now or after frying the crab legs. Melt some butter in a skillet and add garlic until you have a translucent mixture. Then, you need to add seasonings and continue to cook. Turn off the heat when the butter bubbles. 

Step 3: Fry Crab Legs

Fry the king crab legs in 350° to 375°F oil until they turn golden brown. Always turning the legs to cook them evenly.

Place the fried legs on a paper towel. You need to wait a little bit for the oil to drain.

After that, add garlic butter sauce to the fried king crab legs and mix them. The sauce will coat the legs, giving them a wonderful taste without affecting their crunchy cover.

Fried King Crab Legs with Garlic Butter: Summary Table

Fried king crab legs are already a fantastic dish. Once you add garlic butter to it, the flavor will be much more satisfying.

How to Eat King Crab Legs

King crab legs are hard to eat because of the hard shell. Please take these steps to break the shell and access the tasty meat:

• Lift the king crab leg off the table with both hands.
• Find a joint, then break it using your hands or a crab tool. A fork, chopstick, or knife can help you in this step. There are three joints of a leg to break.
• Grab a zipper and run it down across the softer side of the shell. Then, open the leg with a single sweeping stroke. A knife or a fork can work if you don’t have a zipper.
• Pull the delicious meat out of the leg by sliding the fork inside. You may dip the meat in butter and cocktail sauce if you’d like.

How to Reheat King Crab Legs

There are three ways to reheat king crab legs. Your options include the following:

• Baking: Give the crab legs enough space for them to heat evenly. Remember to add some beer or water to the bottom, and bake for five to eight minutes at 350°F.
• Boiling: This method will be ideal if you are cooking for many people. But the pot should accommodate the big crab legs. The length of boiling time depends on how big the legs are.
• Steaming: Prepare a little liquid to steam your crab legs. Many people love this method as it promotes the uniform transfer of heat.

The chef in this video will show you more tips for reheating king crab legs:

FAQs

How Long Does It Take to Fry King Crab Legs?

You need around six minutes to fry king crab legs. The exact varies depending on the size of the legs and how hot the oil you fry them in is. The general rule is to wait for them to turn golden brown evenly.

What Is the Best Way to Cook Frozen King Crab Legs?

It depends on how you want to serve your food. For example, steaming is the best way to preserve your crab’s freshness and natural flavor. Meanwhile, the flavor of ingredients, like herbs or lemon, will remain if you bake the seafood. 

Do You Rinse King Crab Legs Before Cooking?

You should, especially if you are working with frozen seafood. Rinsing in cold water is one of two excellent ways to thaw king crab legs quickly.

Can You Overcook King Crab Legs?

It’s not a good idea to overcook crab because the meat will be tough and rubbery to eat. It won’t give you a good experience then.

Conclusion

Hopefully, our fried king crab legs with garlic butter recipe will add a terrific option to your favorite list. It’s easy to prepare and brings you an excellent meal.

Don’t forget to share with us your experience with the recipe. It’s how we grow up as professional cooks.

Thank you for reading!