Snow Crab for a Dinner Party!

Snow crab is the perfect dinner-party food: elegant yet unfussy, interactive without being chaotic, and so, so good. Guests linger for hours, cracking legs, dunking into warm butter, and swapping stories between bites. Here’s your complete, no-stress playbook.

Why Snow Crab Works for Entertaining

• Low-lift, high-wow: Most legs are pre-cooked and flash-frozen—you're simply reheating gently.

• Built-in pacing: Cracking slows the meal to a lovely, chatty tempo.

• Minimal last-minute cooking: Sides and sauces can be prepped ahead; the crab heats in minutes.

  
  

How Much to Buy

• Snow crab legs (in shell): 2–2 1/2 lb per adult

• Butter: 2 Tbsp clarified butter per person

• Lemons & limes: ½–1 lemon per person.

Yummy Sauces

• Browned Garlic–Lemon Butter: Brown 8 Tbsp butter; stir in 2 grated garlic cloves, zest of 1 lemon, 2 Tbsp juice, pinch of chili flakes, salt.

• Miso-Scallion Butter: 8 Tbsp soft butter + 1½ Tbsp white miso + 1 tsp honey + 1 tsp rice vinegar + 2 sliced scallions.

• Old Bay Cocktail (not just for shrimp): ¾ cup ketchup + 2 Tbsp prepared horseradish + 1 tsp Old Bay + 1 tsp lemon juice + dash hot sauce.

• Ponzu-Sesame Dip (bright & clean): ½ cup ponzu + 1 tsp toasted sesame oil + thinly sliced chili (optional).

  
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375. Place crab on cookie sheets and place in oven. Heat approx 20 min.. you want it defrosted and warmed through but be careful not to over heat or the crab will dry out.

2. Remove from oven carefully, there will be water in the bottom of the cookie sheet.

3. Place on a platter and enjoy immediately with your favorite sauce.... or really it is so good as is with a squeeze of lime!

Bon Appetit, Enjoy, Provecho!