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How to Make Crab Legs and 5 Flavored Butters

By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Created January 10, 2017
Use our simple method to make your most impressive holiday meal yet. It’s even easier than you think, we promise!
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Is there a holiday dish more exciting than a platter piled high with steaming, bright-red crab legs? Why yes there is, that same lovely platter next to five flavored butters!

Grab your plastic bibs (they’re part of the fun!) and get ready to dig in, because these meaty treats are ready in mere minutes. Pro tip: have everything for your flavored butters ready to go before adding the crab to the pot, then quickly assemble them while the legs boil.

What you’ll need:

  • 2 tablespoons seafood seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon salt 
  • 4 lb frozen king crab legs, thawed
  • ¼ cup melted butter + desired mix-ins (see below) 

How to:

1.  Fill large stockpot half full with water; add seafood seasoning and salt. Stir and heat to boiling.

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2.  Add crab legs. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or just until heated. Remove with tongs to serving platter. Serve with flavored butter.

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5 Savory Butters 

We’re big fans of serving crab legs with the traditional melted butter and lemon combination, but for special occasions we like to pull out all the stops, and these flavored butters take everything to the next level. For each flavor, start with ¼ cup melted butter:

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Flavors from left to right, top to bottom. 

Herb: 1 to 2 Tbsp chopped fresh herb (chives, oregano, tarragon or thyme), 1 tsp lemon juice and ¼ tsp salt. 

Garlic: ½ tsp paprika, 1/8 tsp pepper and 2 cloves garlic, crushed

Mustard: 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, 2 Tbsp mustard and ¼ tsp salt 

Sesame: 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seed, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce and ½ tsp garlic salt

Lemon-Chive: 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp fresh chives, 1 tsp grated lemon peel