This easy crab butter sauce can be made four different ways. Try it plain, or season with lemon, garlic or cayenne. Serve with crab legs!
Who else loves crab legs?
I know, I know.
We all love crab legs!
Last month I was positively delighted when I had a chance to prepare some Dungeness crab legs, and I've been happily planning out all the different ways to eat this tasty treat.
We love crab eggs Benedict, crab nachos, crab fries, crab pizza, and a crab omelette will always make me smile.
That said, there's something pretty fabulous about crab legs dipped in butter sauce. It might seem simple, but it's one of the best things in life.
Today, I'm going to show you how to make four versions of crab butter sauce. All four options are easy and pair perfectly with crab meat.
Want more crab recipes? Try making mini crab cakes, King crab salad with avocado dressing and a King crab Louie salad.
Preparing the Crab
First things first: take a moment to make sure you know how to steam and crack your crab legs.
I like to use a seafood cracker to help speed up the crab cracking process.
After removing the crab meat, make sure to save the crab shells to make seafood stock.
How to Make Crab Butter Sauce
Start with butter. I bet you figured that part out already!
Put the butter in a saucepan or a butter warmer, and heat the butter until it melts.
Crab Butter Sauce: Four Ways
At this point, you'll add seasonings (or not).
For plain butter sauce, simply add a little lemon juice and you're done!
For spicy butter sauce, add red chili flakes and lemon juice.
Add minced garlic and lemon juice for garlic butter sauce.
And finally, add lemon zest and lemon juice for a lemon butter sauce.
Serve the warm, seasoned butter along with steamed crab legs and lots of napkins!
Make It Ahead of Time
If you prefer, you can make the butter sauce ahead of time and either refrigerate or freeze it.
Simply reheat before serving.
Other Ways to Use This Butter
Seasoned, melted butter sauce is delicious with any type of shellfish!
It's perfect for dipping grilled lobster tails, grilled scallops, or drizzle the sauce over seared sea scallops.
It's tasty on other types of seafood too!
Bring the butter back to room temperature to make it spreadable, and then smear it on this salmon almondine or herb butter salmon.
Crab Butter Sauce
Ingredients
Crab Butter Sauce (Base):
- ¼ cup butter (½ stick)
- ½ lemon, juiced
- small pinch sea salt (optional) Omit if using salted butter or if serving along with heavily seasoned crab.
Garlic Butter:
- 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
Spicy Butter:
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
Lemon Butter:
- zest from one lemon
Instructions
- Melt the butter over medium-low heat.Allow the butter to melt but not brown.
- As soon as the butter melts, add any extra seasoning if desired (garlic, red pepper or lemon zest).Continue heating 1-2 minutes, or until the seasonings become fragrant.Stir in the lemon juice. Serve warm along with crab legs.
Tanya says
All 3 are awesome
Alisha Trenalone says
Glad you enjoyed them so much! Thanks for letting us know.
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Carolyn Hill says
This looks great! I'm making it tomorrow to serve with king crab legs. Thanks!
Alisha Trenalone says
Awesome! Hope it turned out deliciously! 😊
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Bethany says
Can you use this sauce for the shrimp boil for 2?
Alisha Trenalone says
Hi Bethany! Yes, you can use this butter sauce instead of the one in the shrimp boil recipe!
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Mike says
Excellent, balanced flavor! I added chipotle powder to substitute red chili flake and cayenne powder.
Alisha Trenalone says
Glad you enjoyed the flavor!
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Silly says
Dumb question, but had to ask. I cooked the legs in a butter mixture, then poured off the excess into a bowl and fridge it. i pulled off the top layer, rinsed it and put it aside in the fridge. can I still use this, like a clarified butter or smaltzh?
Sarah Trenalone says
Not a dumb question! Yes I think you could still use it with no problems. It might have a slightly stronger crab flavor (but that's fine if you're using for crab), and the shelf life might be slightly shortened since it's been cooked with seafood. I'd definitely freeze or discard leftovers when you're done.