How to Make the Perfect Sauce for Crab Legs

Crab legs are a delicious treat, but they truly shine when paired with a flavorful dipping sauce. The right sauce enhances the sweet crab meat, adds another layer of flavor, and takes your crab leg experience to the next level From classic garlic butter to spicy cocktail sauce, the options for crab leg pairings are endless

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know to make the perfect sauce for crab legs. You’ll learn simple recipes, ingredient tips, pairing ideas, and more. With this advice, you can easily whip up crab leg sauces at home so that every bite is dripping with flavor. Let’s get saucy!

Why Sauce Matters with Crab Legs

Before diving into recipes, it helps to understand why crab legs pair so well with sauce. Here are a few reasons why sauce takes crab legs up a notch:

• Enhances Flavor – Crab meat has a mildly sweet and delicate flavor Sauce adds another layer of robust, tangy, spicy or creamy flavor that complements the crab

• Prevents Dryness – Crab meat can become dry, especially with reheating. Sauce helps keep each bite moist and juicy.

• Easier to Eat – Cracking and pulling crab meat from legs and shells can be tricky. Sauce makes the meat slide off the shell more easily.

• Adds Moisture – Dipping in sauce helps moisten the crab for a better mouthfeel.

• Fun to Dip – Having a sauce to dip adds interactive fun to a crab leg meal.

So don’t skip the sauce – it’s an essential component of any crab leg feast!

10 Delicious Sauces to Serve with Crab Legs

From classic melted butter to zesty cocktail creations, here are 10 fantastic sauce recipes to serve with sweet crab legs:

1. Garlic Butter

Buttery, garlicky and full of flavor – garlic butter is a simple go-to dipping sauce for crab. Simmering the crab legs right in the sauce infuses them with taste.

You’ll need: butter, minced garlic, lemon juice, parsley, salt

Make it: Melt the butter over medium heat. Add and cook the garlic briefly until fragrant. Stir in lemon juice and seasonings. Add crab legs and toss until coated.

2. Cocktail Sauce

The classic pairing for crab legs and shrimp. Tomatoes, horseradish and lemon make it tangy with a bit of spice.

You’ll need: ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire, hot sauce

Make it: Stir together all ingredients until combined. Chill before serving.

3. Chili Garlic Sauce

Spicy, garlicky and irresistibly good, this sauce adds a kick of heat. Rice wine vinegar balances the richness.

You’ll need: mayonnaise, sriracha, garlic, rice wine vinegar, parsley

Make it: Whisk together mayonnaise, sriracha, garlic, vinegar and parsley.

4. Brown Butter Sauce

Nutty brown butter provides rich depth, while lemon brightens. A simple yet elegant sauce.

You’ll need: butter, lemon juice, parsley, garlic

Make it: Cook butter over medium heat until browned. Stir in lemon juice, parsley and garlic.

5. Mustard Sauce

Creamy mustard mixed with mayo makes a tangy, subtly spicy dipping sauce. Great on crab or shrimp.

You’ll need: mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire

Make it: Whisk together all ingredients until smooth.

6. Remoulade

A New Orleans classic with a creamy base and Cajun seasonings. Spicy, herby and full of flavor.

You’ll need: mayonnaise, Creole mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire, hot sauce, garlic, paprika, herbs

Make it: Whisk together all ingredients until combined. Chill before serving.

7. Bourbon Sauce

Sweet and slightly smoky, this butter-bourbon sauce gives a sophisticated Southern kick to crab.

You’ll need: butter, bourbon, parsley, lemon juice, Worcestershire

Make it: Melt butter and stir in bourbon, parsley, lemon juice and Worcestershire.

8. Honey Old Bay Sauce

Sweet honey and savory Old Bay seasoning blend together in this easy microwave sauce.

You’ll need: butter, honey, Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice

Make it: Melt butter with Old Bay, honey and lemon juice in the microwave until heated through.

9. Thai Chili Sauce

With sweet chili sauce and spicy sriracha, this sauce packs a flavorful punch.

You’ll need: sweet chili sauce, sriracha, lime juice, fish sauce, cilantro

Make it: Stir together all ingredients and season to taste.

10. Aioli

Creamy garlicky mayonnaise, amped up with lemon and herbs. A rich complement to crab’s sweetness.

You’ll need: mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, herbs

Make it: Whisk together mayo, garlic, lemon juice, mustard and herbs.

Get creative and try mixing and matching flavors to invent your own signature crab leg sauce. The possibilities are endless!

Choosing the Right Crab for Different Sauces

With so many options for crab leg sauce, how do you choose which to pair with your crab? Here are some suggestions for which crab varieties work best with different sauces:

• Snow crab: Best paired with lighter sauces like lemon butter, garlic butter or mustard dill that won’t overpower the delicate meat.

• King crab: Holds up well to richer sauces like hollandaise, brown butter and rémoulade.

• Dungeness crab: Works with bolder sauces like cocktail, creamy chili or Cajun butters.

• Stone crab: Pairs nicely with classic lemon butter or mustard sauces.

The meat texture and flavor intensity varies between crab types. So keep this in mind when deciding which sauce complements each variety best.

Tips for Making the Perfect Crab Leg Sauce

To end up with a smooth, balanced, flavorful crab sauce, follow these helpful tips:

• Use unsalted butter so you control the saltiness.

• Mix in minced garlic just until fragrant; don’t let it burn.

• Brighten rich sauces with a squeeze of lemon or splash of vinegar.

• Season to taste in stages, adjusting acidity, salt, pepper, herbs.

• For spicy sauces, add a pinch of hot sauce or cayenne at a time.

• Let sauces like rémoulades or aioli chill so flavors meld.

• Add fresh herbs like parsley, tarragon or chives near the end.

• Thin very thick sauces with a teaspoon or two of water.

• Taste and tweak the flavor until each component comes through.

• Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days, reheating before serving.

Serving Suggestions for Crab Leg Sauces

Crab leg sauces aren’t just for dipping – get creative with how you serve them! Here are some ideas:

• Pool sauce underneath crab legs as a flavorful base.

• Brush sauce over top of crab legs before broiling.

• Serve sauces in individual ramekins for dipping.

• Drizzle sauce over finished crab for added flavor.

• Add sauce to dishes like crab cakes, sandwiches or pasta.

• Use sauces as a marinade or baste for grilled or roasted crab.

• Stir sauce into crab salad or use as sandwich spread.

• Mix with mayo for crab dip or crab-stuffed avocados.

Storing and Reheating Leftover Crab Leg Sauce

For leftover crab sauce, proper storage and reheating is key. Follow these guidelines:

• Let sauce cool completely before transferring to an airtight container.

• Store crab sauces in the refrigerator for 3-4 days maximum.

• For the best flavor, use reheated sauces within 1-2 days.

• Reheat sauce slowly over low heat, adding water or cream if too thick.

• Stir frequently to prevent curdling or separating.

• Don’t microwave sauces with dairy more than 30 seconds to prevent splitting.

• Discard sauce if you notice any sourness or off smells after reheating.

With the recipes, tips and guidelines above, you can become a pro at making mouthwatering sauce for crab legs. The right sauce elevates sweet crab meat to new heights of flavor. So break out your apron and start saucing up your next crab feast!

Juicy Crab sauce, often used for seafood boils, is typically a combination of melted butter, minced garlic, lemon juice, and a blend of seasonings like Cajun seasoning, Old Bay, and sometimes a touch of sweetness from brown sugar.