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How to eat snow crab legs at a Calabash buffet

Snow crab legs are the reason a lot of folks walk through the door at HOOKS Calabash Seafood Buffet. If it's your first time — or your fifth — here's the easy way to crack them, eat them, and get every buttery bite out of the shell without wearing it.

A pile of freshly steamed snow crab legs at HOOKS Calabash Seafood Buffet

What you'll need

  • A seafood cracker (like a small nutcracker)
  • A small seafood or cocktail fork
  • Warm drawn butter and lemon wedges
  • Plenty of napkins (bibs are welcome)

At HOOKS, every table already has crackers, forks and butter waiting for you — walk up to the crab bar, grab a plate of legs, and get to work.

Step-by-step

  1. 1

    Break the leg at the joints

    Snow crab legs come as a long cluster with three natural joints. Bend each joint backwards until it snaps — you'll end up with 2 or 3 shorter, easier-to-handle segments per leg.

  2. 2

    Crack the shell (don't crush it)

    Lay a segment sideways in the cracker with the flat side up. Squeeze gently — you only want a clean crack, not a shattered mess. If you squeeze too hard, you'll compress the meat into the shell.

  3. 3

    Peel the shell open

    Pull the top half of the shell back like a pea pod. A long, white ribbon of crab meat should lift right out in one piece.

  4. 4

    Use a fork for the narrow ends

    The skinny ends of a leg won't fit a cracker. Push the fork into the wide end and slide the meat out toward the tip, or use kitchen shears to split the shell lengthwise.

  5. 5

    Dip in butter and eat right away

    Snow crab is best hot. Dunk the meat in drawn butter, add a squeeze of lemon if you like, and eat it before it cools. Then go back for more — the buffet is unlimited.

Pro tips from the HOOKS crab bar

  • Grab hot legs. Ask the crew when the next batch is coming out — freshly steamed snow crab is worlds better than legs that have been sitting.
  • Take a few at a time. Small plates, more trips. The legs are best while they're still warm from the steamer.
  • Save the butter. The knuckle meat and the shoulder pieces at the base of the cluster are the sweetest — don't skip them.
  • Layer your buffet. Between crab runs, hit the Calabash fry line for shrimp and flounder, the carving station for prime rib, and the salad bar to catch your breath.

Come practice at the HOOKS crab bar.

All-you-can-eat snow crab legs are included with the buffet every day — no upcharge, no limit. Bring the family, bring the appetite.

See the full buffet →Hours & directions