The perfect steak topping exists! Take your steak to the next level with this Maryland Crab Butter Sauce. In my restaurant days, this was the most popular sauce on the menu. Customers would literally drink it. We offered it as an "add-on" for steaks, but folks would get it smothered over chicken, salmon, and pork chops! It was that good!!
Maryland Crab Sauce Recipe
Made with butter and crab, c'mon, and only 10 minutes of cooking time, you can't go wrong!
This butter sauce is made with jumbo lump crab, butter, and a hint of old bay spice, making this sauce an absolute must for your next special dinner.
If you are looking for more crab recipes, grilling 24x7 has you covered. Check out my Cedar Plank Smoked Crab Cakes, White Crab Chili, Crab Cake Egg Rolls, and Chesapeake Crab Dip recipes.
What's the Best Crabmeat to Buy for Crab Butter Sauce
Depending on where you live will dictate your options on what type of crab to use.
- Here on the East Coast, blue crab is the most commonly found.
- Fresh Jumbo Lump Crabmeat is obviously the gold standard and the most expensive and elusive.
- Pasteurized Jumbo Lump is a little more economical, and when simmered in butter, it’s hard to tell the difference between fresh and pasteurized. Lump, backfin, and special are options, but they tend to get mushy when cooked in a sauce.
- Other crabmeat, such as Dungeness crab, king crab legs, snow crab legs, soft-shell crab, lobster, or Langostino, is also a tasty substitute for this sauce. Personally, I always recommend using what’s local, fresh, and the best value.
Pictured Fresh Maryland Jumbo Lump Crab
Crab Sauce Ingredients
- Crabmeat: 1 lb of jumbo lump crabmeat.
- Sauce: 1 stick of unsalted butter and ¼ cup of heavy cream.
- Seasoning: 2 tsp of Old Bay, 1 tbsp of minced shallot, and 1 tbsp of minced garlic.
- Garnish: Fresh parsley
- Optional additional or substitution ingredients: Are you looking to substitute or change things up? Other ingredients that could be used include lemon juice, black pepper, kosher salt, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and even hot sauce.
How to Make Crab Sauce
- Saute and melt butter. Over medium heat, saute garlic and shallots in 2 tbsp of butter until softened. Then add heavy cream and reduce by half.
- Whisk butter. Turn heat to low and then begin whisking in butter 2 tbsp at a time until the sauce is smooth.
- Add crab. Gently fold in the crabmeat, avoiding breaking up the lumps as much as possible. The sauce is complete as soon as the crabmeat is warmed. Leave the oven on low heat—do not raise the heat, or the butter mixture will separate from the sauce.
- Garnish. Finish off the sauce with the parsley.
- Serve. Enjoy!
Crab Butter Sauce Tips
One of the biggest mistakes when working with crabmeat is overworking it or busting up the lumps you paid good money for.
That’s why I like to prepare the sauce first, then gently fold in the crabmeat at the end and barely warm it. Crab is incredibly delicate and can be reduced to stringy mush quite quickly.
You only need to warm the crabmeat because it is already cooked. Other raw shellfish like lobster or shrimp can handle more heat and cook longer in a sauce.
Don't Break Your Crab Butter
When preparing any butter sauce, you must reduce the heat before whisking in the butter. I add a tablespoon of butter to sauté the shallots and garlic and then add heavy cream to add richness.
Once the cream has reduced, it’s important to let the sauce cool so there are no bubbles. Then, you can begin quickly whisking in the butter, a few tablespoons at a time.
The cold butter thickens the sauce and prevents the butter fats from separating, leaving you with a greasy, oily sauce. If it breaks, you can start over because you haven’t added the crabmeat yet.
What to Serve with this Crab Sauce Recipe
Serve up your crab butter sauce on top of a juicy steak and serve with a side of lemon wedges, brussels sprouts, red potatoes, crusty bread, and some red or white wine.
How to Use Crab Butter
There is really nothing like fresh Chesapeake crab meat smothered in butter with a hint of Old Bay seasoning. Back in the day as a restaurant chef, this butter sauce was one of the most popular menu items.
As much as I enjoy a good crab cake to go along with my steak my favorite way to enjoy a steak is with this Chesapeake Crab butter sauce that is even more decadent.
The sauce pairs perfectly with any cut of steak, from a Filet Mignon to a juicy NY Strip.
If steak isn’t your cup of tea, you can also serve this sauce over fresh fish fillets or a nice chicken breast.
Crab Butter Sauce Storage
Once your taste buds get a mouth full of this, there won't be any leftovers.
BUT, in the off chance your stomach isn't a bottomless pit, grab a small bowl or airtight container and allow it to cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge.
More like this Crab Leg Sauce Recipe
- Chesapeake Crab Dip
- Keto Seafood Imperial
- Cedar Plank Smoked Crab Cakes
- Ultimate Guide To Steamed Blue Crabs
- Jumbo Lump Crab Burgers
- White Crab Chili
More from Grilling 24x7
Butter Sauce for Crab Legs
Equipment
- any saute pan or sauce pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb Jumbo Lump Crabmeat
- 1 Stick Butter
- 2 tsp Old Bay
- 1 tbsp Fresh Parsley
- 1 tbsp Minced Shallot
- 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
- ¼ cup Heavy Cream
Instructions
- over medium heat saute garllic and shallots in 2 tbsp of butter until garlic and shallots have softened. then add in heavy cream and reduce by half
- Turn heat to low and then begin whisking in butter 2 tbsp at a time until the sauce is smooth. finally gently fold in the crabmeat, avaid breaking up the lumps as much as possible. finish off the sauce with the parsley. Sauce is complete as soon as the crabmeat is warmed. Do not raise heat or butter will seperate from the sauce
Linda
Have not made but will try
Culinary Lion
Thanks for checking out the recipe. let me know when you make it!
Carole
Thank you for a fantastic recipe that even my husband, who's not a big fan of crab, loved. And thank you especially for your advice about reducing the heat prior to adding the butter in order to keep the sauce from breaking.
Question: Do you think this would be good substituting chopped shrimp for the crabmeat? If yes, what alterations should I make to the recipe? Shrimp is quite reasonably priced where I live unlike crabmeat.
Thanks again for a great sauce for steaks!
Culinary Lion
Shrimp would work as well. just cook them ahead of time then make the sauce and just warm them up right in the sauce.
Holly
When do you put in Old Bay?
Culinary Lion
you can add it along with the butter at the end,
Nicki
This dish looks delicious.
Is there a recipe available for the beef that is pictured?
Dianne
Hi! The crabmeat isn't cooked. It's thawing in the refrigerator now. Raw crab is 'normal' for your recipe? I can hardly wait!
Culinary Lion
I have never seen raw crabmeat other then whole live crabs or soft shells so Im fairly positive what you have is already cooked. Fresh crab is steamed then picked as well as Amy pasteurized crabmeat you might find.
Karen
So glad to discover this! Had picked one lone Florida blue crab and wanted to top a filet with it. This was perfect without the work of making bearnaise~! I made the full sauce recipe and then just added enough to my small portion of lump blue crab! Perfectly divine!
Frank Campanella
Thank you so much! I love that recipe!!
Shatz
I tried this on a whim last night with flat iron steaks. It was a hit and will serve it again when the stock market booms and I can buy jumbo lump crabmeat again! I've found a good source in Nashville is the Phillips brand at your local Costco store. I had had a small container of claw on hand so used it.
Personally, I thought there was too much butter and may tinker with it the net time. And finally, while it likely doesn't matter, nowhere in the recipe does it tell you when to add the Old Bay! I'm from Bal'more, hon!
Frank Campanella
Thank you!! I will double-check and add the step to add the old bay, Phillips is a solid choice for crabmet though I know it's not cheap, you can always do half shrimp and half crab to cut down the cost but still keep the seafood flavors!!