How to Make Delicious Sauces for Crab Legs

Crab legs are a delicious seafood treat, but the right sauce can take them to a whole new level of flavor. A great sauce enhances the inherent sweetness of the crab meat, adds another dimension, and makes the crab legs irresistible. Whether enjoying a casual crab boil at home or indulging in a seafood feast at a restaurant, crab legs paired with a creamy, spicy or tangy sauce is a match made in heaven.

There are many excellent sauce options for crab legs, from basic garlic butter to spicy cocktail sauces to complements like aioli and mustard dipping sauces With the right recipes, you can easily make your own delicious crab leg sauces at home

Here is an overview of 10 fantastic sauce recipes for crab legs, along with tips for preparing and serving them:

Garlic Butter Sauce

Buttery garlic sauce is a simple classic that pairs perfectly with sweet crab meat. It’s easy to make with just butter, minced garlic and seasonings. Here’s one recipe

Ingredients:

• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
3. Stir in the parsley, pepper, and salt. Heat until bubbling.
4. Add the cooked crab legs and toss to coat.
5. Simmer for 5-6 minutes until heated through.

This garlic butter sauce soaks right into the crab meat making each bite juicy and bursting with flavor.

Homemade Cocktail Sauce

A homemade cocktail sauce with ketchup, horseradish, and lemon makes a tasty, tangy dip for crab legs. Try this easy recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1⁄4 teaspoon hot sauce

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients together until smooth.
2. Let chill for 10 minutes so flavors blend.

The horseradish and hot sauce provide a nice little kick while the ketchup lends sweetness.

Aioli

Aioli is a rich, garlicky emulsion sauce that pairs wonderfully with sweet crab meat. Here’s a quick aioli recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 3⁄4 cup olive oil
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Whisk the egg yolk, lemon juice, garlic and salt together vigorously.
2. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking constantly until thickened.

Drizzle this garlicky aioli over crab legs or use it as a dip.

Spicy Cocktail Sauce

For some heat, make a spicy cocktail sauce with horseradish, hot sauce, and cayenne:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons horseradish
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

1. Mix everything together until thoroughly combined.
2. Let sit for 10-15 minutes so flavors meld.

The lingering heat of this sauce pairs perfectly with briny crab legs.

Lemon Garlic Butter

For a bright citrus flavor, mix up lemon garlic butter:

Ingredients:

• 1 stick salted butter
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1⁄2 lemon

Instructions:

1. Melt the butter and garlic together until fragrant.
2. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and juice.

This lemony garlic butter is fantastic for dipping crab legs or brushing on seafood before broiling.

Ginger Sauce

For an Asian-inspired flavor, whip up this easy ginger sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1⁄4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions:

1. Bring everything to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 2-3 minutes.

The ginger’s spicy heat complements the sweet crab meat beautifully.

Mustard Sauce

Creamy mustard sauce adds a tasty tang to crab legs. Try this recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
• 1⁄4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 minced garlic clove

Instructions:

1. Whisk everything together until smooth and creamy.
2. Let chill for 30 minutes so flavors blend.

The mayonnaise and mustard create a rich, subtly spicy base for dipping crab legs.

Wasabi Cocktail Sauce

For a flavor twist, incorporate wasabi into cocktail sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1⁄2 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons horseradish
• 1 tablespoon wasabi paste
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients together until combined.

The wasabi adds sinus-clearing spice that pairs nicely with briny crab.

Drawn Butter

Drawn butter is the simplest and most classic dipping sauce for crab legs. To make it:

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter

Instructions:

1. Melt and simmer the butter for 1 minute.
2. Let cool 5 minutes undisturbed so milk solids rise to top.
3. Skim off solids and pour clear butter into serving dish.

This pure, subtle butter flavor nicely enhances the crab without overpowering it.

With these 10 sauce recipes, you can take your crab legs to new heights of flavor. Whip up a batch before your next crab feast or dinner date and prepare for rave reviews! Play with different sauce and crab pairings to find your favorites.

Seafood boil sauce typically consists of a combination of butter, garlic, and various spices and seasonings.