Many years ago my sister was at the grocery store and she came across these beautiful Dungeness crab legs, but she didn’t know how to prepare them. Kaye, the seafood clerk, shared with her the most amazing family recipe and since then, it has been our family’s recipe as well.
As the legs bake, the marinade becomes the most wonderful sauce. Be sure to serve this with plenty of good bread to soak up all the goodness! If you love crab legs, you must make this at home!
It’s been years since Kaye has retired, but her openness and kindness to share food and recipes with others remains. We would not dare call this recipe by any other name. Thank you Kaye!

Kaye’s Crab Legs
The most amazing yet simple way to bake crab legs – King, Dungeness or Snow Crab Legs. Make sure to serve plenty of bread to soak up the sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs crab legs – King, Dungeness or Snow
- 1/2 cup butter, unsalted and room temperature
- 5-6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher or sea salt to taste
- fresh parsley, minced
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375°.
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While the oven is preheating, melt the butter in a small sauce pan over low to medium heat. Add the minced garlic and lightly saute the garlic. Add the lemon juice and reduce the temperature to low and let those flavors blend until the oven is nice and hot. Add salt and parsley to taste. Whisk in the olive oil and turn the burner off.
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Arrange the legs in a 9X13 baking dish, brushing each leg with the sauce and pour the remaining sauce over the legs in the baking dish.
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Kaye’s Tasty Tip: Instead of bushing the legs, she uses an injector to get the sauce inside the legs. She then pours any remaining sauce over the legs.
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Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes. Cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of the crab legs. About every 5-7 minutes, baste the sauce onto the legs until they are done.
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Remove from the oven and garnish with extra lemon wedges and fresh chopped parsley.