Crab legs, with their succulent meat and delicate flavor, are a seafood delicacy enjoyed by many. Whether you prefer them steamed, boiled, or grilled, dipping them in a rich and flavorful butter sauce can elevate your dining experience. This article presents a collection of butter recipes specifically crafted to complement the sweet and briny taste of crab legs. From classic clarified butter to garlic herb butter, honey mustard butter, and even a spicy Cajun butter, these recipes offer a diverse range of flavors to satisfy every palate. Each recipe is described in detail, providing step-by-step instructions, cooking times, and serving suggestions. Whether you're hosting a special occasion dinner or simply treating yourself to a delightful seafood meal, these butter recipes will transform your crab legs into an unforgettable culinary delight.
Let's cook with our recipes!
CRAB BUTTER SAUCE
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!
Provided by Sarah Trenalone
Categories Condiment
Time 10m
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- 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.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 55 kcal, Carbohydrate 1 g, Protein 1 g, Fat 6 g, SaturatedFat 4 g, Cholesterol 15 mg, Sodium 55 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 1 g, ServingSize 1 serving
CRAB LEGS WITH GARLIC BUTTER SAUCE
I ended up getting some snow crab legs on sale at the market. I wanted something a little different from plain steamed, boiled, or grilled crab legs, so I ended up throwing a few things together to make this awesome crab leg dish. Enjoy! This would be great with shrimp as well.
Provided by Tamaralynn
Categories Main Dish Recipes Seafood Main Dish Recipes Crab
Time 20m
Yield 2
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Cut a slit, length-wise, into the shell of each piece of crab.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat; cook the garlic in the butter until translucent; stir in the parsley, salt, and pepper. Continue to heat mixture until bubbling. Add the crab legs; toss to coat; allow to simmer in the butter mixture until completely heated, 5 to 6 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 520.1 calories, Carbohydrate 1 g, Cholesterol 274.2 mg, Fat 37.5 g, Fiber 0.2 g, Protein 43.6 g, SaturatedFat 17.1 g, Sodium 1030.7 mg, Sugar 0.1 g
DRAWN BUTTER FOR STEAMED LOBSTER, CRABS, OR CLAMS
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories condiment
Time 5m
Yield 4 to 6 servings (about 1 cup)
Number Of Ingredients 1
Steps:
- Place the butter in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 1 minute.
- Set the saucepan aside and let the butter settle, undisturbed. The milk solids will come to the top of the butter and the watery whey will collect on the bottom. Skim off the milk solids with a spoon and pour the drawn butter into a serving bowl or several small ramekins, taking care not include the watery liquid in the bottom of the pan. Serve.
CRAB LEGS WITH GARLIC BUTTER
These crab legs are steamed to perfection, then tossed in a flavorful garlic butter sauce. A simple, yet satisfying way to enjoy fresh seafood, and it takes just minutes to put together! Crab legs make for a great appetizer or main course option.
Provided by Sara Welch
Categories Main
Time 20m
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Place 3 inches of water in a large, deep pot over medium heat. Bring the water to a boil.
- Crack the crab legs with a seafood cracker.
- Place the crab legs in the pot and cover.
- Cook for 5-7 minutes until crab is heated through. If you have raw crab, cook for 10-12 minutes until flesh is red/orange and opaque.
- Drain the crab legs and cover to keep warm.
- Melt the butter in the pot. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and stir in the salt, pepper and parsley.
- Return the crab to the pot and toss to coat with the garlic butter. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges if desired.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 206 kcal, Carbohydrate 1 g, Protein 1 g, Fat 16 g, SaturatedFat 12 g, Cholesterol 61 mg, Sodium 203 mg, Sugar 1 g, ServingSize 1 serving
OLD BAY KING CRAB LEGS
The classic seafood seasoning and lemon bring heat and brightness to sweet crab meat. The only way to improve it is with a dunk in drawn butter.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Time 35m
Yield 2 to 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 4
Steps:
- Put the crab legs in the bottom of a large stockpot, then cover with 4 quarts of water and stir in the seafood seasoning (see Cook's Note). Halve the lemons and squeeze the juice into the pot, then add the rinds. Cover and bring to a boil, then cook over medium-high heat until the crab legs are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Remove the crab legs to a large serving bowl or platter.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until the butter foams and simmers, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let stand 5 minutes. Using a spoon, remove any milk solids from the surface of the butter, then slowly pour the melted butter into a small serving bowl, leaving any watery, white whey behind in the saucepan. Serve alongside the crab legs.
KING CRAB LEGS
Old Bay® Seasoning is one of our favorites for seafood. This is easy but delicious.
Provided by MarylouH
Categories Main Dish Recipes Seafood Main Dish Recipes Crab
Time 38m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place crab legs in a shallow baking pan.
- Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until melted, about 3 minutes. Whisk in seafood seasoning, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. Brush crab legs with butter mixture and pour any remaining mixture over crab legs.
- Bake in the preheated oven until opaque and flaky, basting regularly with the butter mixture in the pan, 25 to 35 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 356.4 calories, Carbohydrate 0.6 g, Cholesterol 124.4 mg, Fat 23.3 g, Fiber 0.3 g, Protein 34.5 g, SaturatedFat 8.8 g, Sodium 2253.7 mg, Sugar 0.1 g
GARLIC CRAB LEGS
Garlicky crab legs with corn on the cob.
Provided by Robyn Pravitz
Categories Main Dish Recipes Seafood Main Dish Recipes Crab
Time 35m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- In a very large stock pot, bring a large amount of water to boil. Place crab legs and corn in the pot of boiling water. Boil until the corn is tender, and the crab legs are opaque and flaky. The crab may finish cooking before the corn, check the corn and crab every 5 minutes to see if they are finished cooking. When finished cooking, drain well. Cut a slit into each of the crab leg shells to make it easier for your guests to get to the meat.
- In a large saucepan, melt butter or margarine, garlic, red pepper, and Old Bay ™ seasoning. Stir in the crab and corn, and saute them for 5 to 10 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 532.8 calories, Carbohydrate 13.4 g, Cholesterol 174.9 mg, Fat 36.6 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 39 g, SaturatedFat 22.2 g, Sodium 2042.6 mg, Sugar 2.2 g
CRABS - GARLIC BUTTER BAKED CRAB LEGS
I have tried and tried again to re-create the garlic butter crab legs that taste like the crabs from my favorite crab joint-The Crab House on Pier 39 in San Francisco. I have finally done it!
Provided by Missykrissy66
Categories Crab
Time 35m
Yield 2 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, grab yourself a small saucepan. On med low heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic (I prefer a press) and LIGHTLY saute. Squeeze in the juice of the citrus of choice. If using a lemon, squeeze the juice into your hands so that you can remove the seeds with ease. Turn the heat to low and let those flavors mesh until the oven is nice and hot. Toss in as much salt (to taste) and a couple pinches of parsley. Then whisk in that olive oil with a fork. Turn off your burner.
- Arrange your tasty crustaceans in a 9x13 baking dish, brushing each leg with the sauce. ***TASTY TIP*** I use an injector to pop a *little* extra UMPH into my crabs. Pour any remaining sauce over those puppies. Now toss the pan into the oven on the center rack.
- Bake your crabs for about 25 minutes or so (depending on how thick the legs you have are), brushing the sauce from the bottom of the pan onto the legs every 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with a few pinches o' parsley for garnish.
- I am a lazy gal, detest doing more dishes than I have to, and am a firm believer in the "waste not, want not" phrase. With that said, I just serve the crab in the same dish I baked it in so I can dip the meat into the tasty sauce, savoring every last drop. If you are the opposite, use tongs and place them on a platter and pour the buttery-goodness into ramekins. VOILA! Crab House comparable delicacy! "Ohhhh my CRAAAABS!
Tips:
- Choose the right butter. Unsalted butter is the best choice for crab legs, as it allows you to control the amount of salt in the dish. You can also use clarified butter, which has had the milk solids removed, for a richer flavor.
- Melt the butter properly. The best way to melt butter for crab legs is to do it slowly over low heat. This will prevent the butter from burning and will allow it to retain its flavor.
- Add seasonings to the butter. You can add a variety of seasonings to the butter to enhance the flavor of the crab legs. Some popular options include lemon juice, garlic, herbs, and spices.
- Serve the butter with the crab legs immediately. The butter should be served while it is still warm and melted so that it can coat the crab legs evenly.
Conclusion:
Butter is a delicious and versatile ingredient that can be used to enhance the flavor of crab legs. By following these tips, you can make sure that your crab legs are cooked to perfection and that the butter is flavorful and delicious. So next time you're serving crab legs, don't forget the butter!
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