Grilled Crab Legs with Garlic-Butter Sauce

Grilled crab legs, lined up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, next to a bowl of garlic butter sauce.

Grilled Crab Legs with Garlic-Butter Sauce

easyhealthyrecipes.com/grilled-crab-legs/

In just 10 minutes you'll have perfectly cooked grilled crab legs and a lush butter sauce that's great for any summer meal. Naturally low carb, keto, and gluten free, with easy Whole30, paleo, and dairy free options.

Prep: 10

Cook: 10

Total: 20

Recipe makes approximately 2 servings

Equipment Needed

Grill
Kitchen scissors
Small bowl
whisk
Spoon or basting brush

Ingredients Needed

For the Crab Legs

3 pounds king crab legs (defrosted if frozen)

For the Garlic-Butter Sauce

½ cup butter (melted but not boiling, see Notes)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 pinch salt (to taste)
1 pinch freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat grill to medium-high heat, approximately 375° to 450° Fahrenheit. With kitchen scissors, carefully cut lengthwise through white part of leg shell to split crab legs open and reveal crab meat. Do not remove meat from shell. Set crab legs aside.
In small bowl, combine melted butter, chopped parsley, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, whisking vigorously until ingredients are fully incorporated.
With spoon or basting brush, drizzle approximately 50% of butter sauce over revealed crab meat inside legs. Reserve remaining butter sauce for serving.
Place crab legs directly on grill grate with split-shell side facing up. Close lid and grill crab legs over direct heat for 7 minutes, then check doneness. Continue grilling as needed until crab legs are reddish-orange and meat is opaque and pearly white, no more than 10 minutes total.
Carefully remove crab legs from grill and serve immediately with reserved garlic-butter sauce and desired sides.

Recipe Notes

You may be able to find the crab legs already split. If you can't, don't skip that step - it's key to getting the most flavor out of the crab meat.
1 pound of king crab legs typically yields ½-¾ pounds of actual edible crab meat. If crab is the main protein in your meal, a good rule of thumb is to purchase 1 ½ pounds of crab legs per person. If you're serving it as a side, you can stick to just 1 pound of legs per person.
Dungeness and snow crab legs can be used in place of the king crab legs. The instructions and timing remain the same regardless of crab type.
Make it Whole30/Paleo: Use ghee instead of butter.
Make it Dairy Free: Use a dairy-free butter.

Nutrition Info (Approximate)