How to Cook Crab Meat with Butter: A Simple yet Delicious Way to Enjoy Fresh Crab

Crab meat is a delicious and luxurious seafood that can be enjoyed in many ways. One of the most popular methods is cooking crab meat with butter. The sweet and delicate flavor of crab complements the richness of melted butter beautifully. With just a few simple ingredients and steps, you can make crab buttery perfection right at home.

An Overview of Cooking Crab Meat with Butter

Cooking crab meat in butter is one of the easiest seafood dishes you can make. The process involves gently heating chunks of crab meat in melted butter that has been seasoned and flavored. The crab can be served warm right from the pan with the butter drizzled over top, or chilled and used cold in various appetizers and snacks.

Some of the main steps include:

• Choosing your crab meat – Backfin, jumbo lump, and claw meat work best. Avoid crab flake style.

• Melting high quality butter – Salted butter provides the most flavor. Clarify it by simmering and skimming milk solids if desired.

• Seasoning the butter – Lemon, garlic, herbs and spices complement crab wonderfully.

• Gently heating the crab in the butter – Warm until heated through but not overcooked.

• Serving warm or chilling for later use in dips, on crab cakes, pasta, etc

The basic method lets the natural flavors of fresh crab shine through. But the butter can also be flavored in many ways to create an easy, elegant appetizer or meal.

Selecting and Preparing Crab Meat for Cooking

Not all crab meat works equally well for cooking in butter. Follow these tips for best results:

• Use lump or backfin crab meat – The chunks or lumps maintain their shape better when heated. Avoid using imitation crab or crab flake meat that easily falls apart.

• Pick through the meat – Look for any stray shell fragments and remove them.

• Keep the meat chilled – Store in the coldest part of the fridge until ready to use.

• Gently rinse if needed – A quick rinse can remove any excess brine or seasoning. Pat dry thoroughly before cooking.

• Cut larger pieces – Break down extra large lumps into smaller 1-2 inch pieces so they cook more evenly.

• Have the butter melted and heated – Before adding the chilled crab meat to the pan. This helps prevent overcooking.

Melting and Clarifying the Butter

Clarified butter has a higher smoke point than regular butter, allowing you to cook the crab meat without burning the butter. To clarify:

• Slowly melt 1-2 sticks of unsalted butter in a saucepan.

• Allow it to come to a gentle boil and foam will rise. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

• Take off heat and let sit 5 minutes. The milk solids will sink and separate.

• Skim off and discard the milk solids from the surface.

• Pour the clear yellow clarified butter into a clean pan, leaving any residue behind.

The butter is now ready to flavor and cook the crab in. Clarifying is optional but recommended.

Seasoning the Butter for Crab

The options for seasoning the melted butter are endless. Popular flavors include:

• Lemon – Fresh lemon juice and zest brighten the butter.

• Garlic – Minced or roasted garlic adds richness.

• Herbs – Chives, dill, parsley and tarragon all pair wonderfully.

• Spices – Old Bay, paprika, cayenne, white pepper add a touch of heat.

• Wine – A splash of dry white wine adds acidity.

• Seasoning blends – Use Cajun, Creole, seafood or crab boil mixes.

• Mustard – Dijon, whole grain or stone ground mustard work.

Start with 1-2 teaspoons of any seasoning per stick of butter. Taste and adjust until the flavors really sing.

Cooking the Crab Meat in the Butter

With the prepared crab meat and seasoned butter ready, cooking goes quickly:

• Heat the butter – Over medium-low heat until fully melted if not already.

• Add crab chunks – Gently place them in the butter, spreading out in an even layer.

• Warm through – Cook for 2-4 minutes, depending on amount.

• Avoid overcooking – Crab overcooked in butter becomes rubbery.

• Move gently – Carefully turn the meat over halfway through heating.

• Check doneness – Meat should be warmed through but still tender.

• Watch the heat – If butter starts browning, remove pan from heat.

And that’s it! After a brief warm through, the crab is ready to enjoy.

Serving Warm Crab Butter

For the classic hot crab and butter appetizer:

• Serve immediately – Transfer the cooked crab meat and butter to a warmer serving dish.

• Provide dipping tools – Offer small forks or picks for dunking the crab in butter.

• Offer bread – Toasted and crusty bread is perfect for soaking up the butter.

• Garnish simply – Chives, lemon wedges or microgreens add fresh contrast.

• Provide small plates – Allow guests to take a few pieces at a time from the main dish.

The crab is also delicious served over rice, pasta or grits to absorb all of the butter sauce.

Using Chilled Crab Butter

The cooked crab butter holds up well when chilled. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days. Use chilled crab butter in:

• Dips – Fold into baked crab dip or creamy crab spread recipes.

• Salad – Toss with pasta, potato, macaroni or crab salad.

• Stuffings – Add to seafood sandwiches, wontons, crab cakes or stuffed mushrooms.

• Toppings – Scoop over steaks, baked potatoes, grilled fish and more.

• Garnishes – Dollop onto soups like Manhattan clam chowder.

The possibilities are endless! Having cooked crab butter in the fridge makes entertaining easy.

Crab Butter Variations

Change up the flavor profile by using any of these seasoning combinations:

• Old Bay – The iconic crab seasoning always hits the spot.

• Lemon garlic – Bright, fresh and herby.

• Everything bagel – Toasted sesame oil, garlic, onion, poppy seeds.

• Chipotle lime – Smoky and zesty.

• Dill caper – Tangy and herbaceous.

• Cajun – Onion, peppers, Creole seasoning and hot sauce.

• Thai – Coconut milk, chili garlic paste, cilantro and lime.

• Italian – Basil, oregano, pepper flakes and Parmesan.

Let your imagination run wild coming up with your own signature crab butter!

Storing and Freezing Crab Butter

Properly stored, crab butter lasts:

• Refrigerator: 5-7 days

• Freezer: 6 months

To store:

• Allow to cool completely before refrigerating.

• Transfer to an airtight container.

• Press plastic wrap on surface to prevent air exposure.

• Use freezer-safe packaging for longer freezing.

• Thaw overnight in fridge before reheating gently.

With a few simple steps, you can enjoy restaurant-worthy crab butter at home. Exploring all the seasoning possibilities is half the fun. Crab cooked in butter is tender, succulent and full of flavor. This easy recipe lets the sweetness of fresh crab meat shine.