It’s pretty simple to cook crab at home, but it can be hard to decide what to serve with it. Crab is a treat that many people love, especially during crab season. It has unique flavors and is fun to eat. Not many foods let you crack open and pull out tasty meat to enjoy. The fact that you have to work hard to get to the meat makes it taste even better. You have to earn it. There is not much better than a crab dinner.
First things first, you need a crab recipe. We wrote this post to help you learn how to cook crab so you can make this tasty breakfast.
As good as crab is, deciding what to serve with crab can make or break the meal. Here are some ideas for what to serve with crab.
The most obvious and well known thing is to serve crab with clarified butter. It’s by far the most iconic and widely used. While it is simple, it enhances the crab meat flavor rather than compliments it. The butter transforms them to a new level of delicious. To make this, melt regular butter (not margarine) and let it cool down. This lets the milk solids settle to the bottom. The butter left on top is clarified – which is what you serve. After that, you should make a great dipping sauce by adding fresh lemon juice and garlic to the butter. Other ideas to improve the butter sauce that much more is rosemary, parsley, or Worcestershire sauce.
Pro tip: Clarified butter goes well with warm crab legs. Do not serve this with cold crab legs are it will solidify.
Crab legs are a delightful treat for seafood lovers. Their tender, sweet meat deserves to be paired with complementary side dishes that enhance the dining experience. The right sides can take your crab leg dinner to the next level.
When choosing complementary dishes for crab legs opt for bright fresh options that won’t overpower the refined flavor. Crab is rich and delicate, so you want light sides that add texture and dimensions to the meal without obscuring the star of the show.
Here are 12 amazing side dish ideas that go perfectly with crab legs
1. Steamed Artichokes with Garlic Butter
Artichokes have a subtle flavor that pairs beautifully with crab. Steaming them simply and topping with garlic lemon butter allows the artichoke’s essence to shine through. The combination of firm leaves and soft heart contrasts nicely with tender crab meat.
2. Roasted Brussels Sprouts
For a pop of color, flavor, and texture, roasted Brussels sprouts make an excellent crab leg accompaniment. Brussels sprouts caramelize to a sweet, nutty flavor when roasted. Toss the sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast at 400°F until browned and crispy around the edges.
3. Fresh Green Salad
A simple green salad in a light vinaigrette dresses up any seafood meal. The crisp lettuce adds freshness and the acidic dressing cuts through the richness of the crab. Make a classic Caesar or toss mixed greens with Champagne vinaigrette.
4. Corn on the Cob
Buttery corn on the cob just screams summer side dish. Boil or grill fresh sweet corn until tender and serve with drawn butter. The corn’s subtle sweetness and corny crunch complements crab legs for a classic seafood theme.
5. Cottage-Cut Fries
For an easy, comforting side, serve crab with crispy cottage-cut fries. Fry hand-cut potato wedges until golden brown and crunchy. Or bake them with a spritz of olive oil and Cajun seasoning for a lighter option. Dip them in remoulade sauce for a tangy accent.
6. Fresh Fruit Salad
A fresh fruit salad provides vibrant colors and natural sweetness to balance the rich crab. Mix diced melons, pineapple, mango, and berries. Drizzle with honey lime dressing for a tropical twist. The juicy fruit textures contrast the crab in an elegant way.
7. Twice Baked Potatoes
Twice baked potatoes provide familiar comfort and buttery, cheesy deliciousness. Scoop out baked russet potatoes and whip the insides with cream, butter, cheddar, and scallions. Stuff back into the potato skins and bake until tops brown. They pair perfectly with crab dipped in butter.
8. Grilled Asparagus
Grilling brings out the natural sweetness in fresh asparagus. Toss spears with olive oil and grill over medium heat until lightly charred and tender. The elegant, sophisticated asparagus flavor complements sweet crab legs for an upscale dish.
9. Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
For a healthier alternative to potatoes, make mashed cauliflower. Steam cauliflower florets until very soft then mash with a bit of butter and garlic. The cauliflower offers vitamin C and fiber without overwhelming the crab.
10. Macaroni and Cheese
Sometimes nothing but ooey-gooey mac and cheese will do. Make an indulgent version mixing shredded cheese with elbow macaroni and a creamy cheese sauce. Top with extra shredded cheddar and bread crumbs for an irresistible carb pairing for crab legs.
11. Rice Pilaf
Simple rice pilaf makes an easy, versatile side dish for soaking up crab leg butter. Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil then toast rice grains to coat. Cook rice in broth and white wine until tender and fluffy. Herb flavors like dill nicely accent the crab.
12. Zucchini Noodles
For a lighter, low-carb option, spiralized zucchini noodles are ideal with crab. Fresh zucchini “zoodles” tossed in olive oil and lemon have few calories and carbs. The zesty veggie noodles pair nicely with the natural sweetness of crab meat.
Whichever sides you choose, the goal is enhancing the stellar crab flavors. Lemon, butter, garlic, and fresh herbs are all great seasonings. Prioritize lighter dishes that add color and texture without overshadowing the crab as the star. With the right sides, your crab leg dinner will be amazing!
What to Eat With Crab?
There are countless side dishes that will pair very nicely with crab. We recommend keeping a pretty straightforward side dish so the crab does not get overshadowed. Below are many side dishes we recommend for what to eat with crab meat. You can find many crab side dish recipes for the suggestions below.
Another side option is a lemon rice pilaf. This is a nice comforting dish that complements the crab flavors in a delicate way.
Salad is always a great option as well. Having crab steamed is a nice light meal, and salad is a great way to keep the whole meal light. You can also serve salad with garlic butter roasted crab to balance out the richness of that preparation. An orange and mandarin salad is suggested because it is crunchy, cool, and sweet in the right amounts. This can also be served as an appetizer before the crab to get people excited about what’s to come.
Since vegetables have refreshing and earthy flavors, they are a nice complement to the sweet meat of crab. Not all veggies are created equal, though. Some of the best vegetables to pair are asparagus, broccoli, bell peppers and onions. Roasting them will caramelize them and bring out the natural sweetness that will pair so well with crab. This side dish can be served with warm or cold crab.
Another type of vegetables that is a really fun pairing is steamed artichokes. For this food, you should use your hands to pull it apart, eat the meat, and throw away the rest. It’s a great accompaniment once you’re already messy and letting your guard down.
First off, everyone loves mashed potatoes. Literally. I’ve never met anyone who actively dislikes mashed potatoes. Can you say, ultimate crowd pleaser? Any preparation of potato, really, pairs well with crab. But we know that mashed potatoes are that much of a widely loved fan favorite.
Another absolute crowd winner is, you guessed it, French fries. They’re absolutely delicious and super convenient to eat. Everyone loves them. And, you can even serve garlic fries to contrast steamed crabs or to complement garlic roasted crab.
Any type of corn can pair nicely with Crab. But to enhance the hands on eating experience, we recommend corn on the cob. Fresh and messy to eat, both of these things are great. You can cook corn on the cob in a lot of different ways, such as by grilling, steaming, boiling, or even microwaving it.
This one is the most obvious. Wine so clearly pairs incredibly well with crab. Especially white wine. Pinot gris, chardonnay and dry Riesling are the top recommendations for wine pairing.
Yes, crab tastes sweet and delicious. But, it is light. Light enough that you’ll still have room for dessert when you’re finished devouring your crustacean. To keep with the light and refreshing theme you can go with a lemon cheesecake. Or of course go for the classic chocolate cake.
What to serve with crab legs
You definitely want to supply crab crackers, crab forks and if possible, bibs. It can be messy and hard to eat crab, but these tools bring the fun back.
Other than butter, you can create all sorts of sauces to serve with crab. For instance, mustard with dill, mayonnaise, lemon and salt and pepper. Another sauce you can try is spicy diablo dipping sauce. Or perhaps a hollandaise.
You can of course consider the most common and popular of all, cocktail sauce. You can even make this sauce at home by mixing together horseradish, Worcestershire, tabasco, lemon and ketchup. Play with different combinations and add pepper to give it an extra kick.