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Steamed snow crab legs piled in a serving bucket with lemon wedges

Steamed Crab Legs with Lemon-Chive Drawn Butter

Snow crab clusters steamed over lemon, bay and garlic water — never submerged — timed by cluster size and served with warm lemon-chive drawn butter.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds snow crab leg clusters thawed (sorted by size)
  • 1½ cups water
  • 1 lemon — half sliced into rounds half cut into wedges for serving
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 garlic cloves smashed
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning for the water only
For the Lemon-Chive Drawn Butter
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon finely snipped chives
  • Pinch of flaky sea salt

Method
 

  1. Add the water, lemon rounds, bay leaves, garlic and Old Bay to a large pot.
  2. Set a steamer basket above the water line and bring the pot, covered, to a boil.
  3. Sort the thawed clusters by size: small (about 4 oz), medium (about 6 oz), large (8 oz and up).
  4. Steam one size group at a time in a loose single layer: small 5 minutes, medium 6 to 7 minutes, large 8 minutes.
  5. Confirm doneness: sweet aroma, vivid shell, and 145°F at the thickest leg joint.
  6. Melt the butter, skim the foam, and pour off the clear butter; stir in lemon zest, chives and flaky salt and keep warm.
  7. Serve the clusters on a warmed platter with lemon wedges, kitchen shears and the warm drawn butter.

Notes

Keep the water below the basket — crab sitting in water is boiling, not steaming.
King crab clusters need 9 to 10 minutes; check the thick knuckle joint with a thermometer.
Kitchen shears open snow crab legs more cleanly than crackers.
Strain and save the steam bath for chowder or seafood rice the same night.
Reheat leftover picked meat with 2 minutes over steam, never in the microwave.