The Most Flavorful Butter Sauce For Crab Legs Requires A Stovetop Melting Technique

Brown butter is the secret ingredient that boosts chocolate chip cookies, and using it is also an easy way to upgrade boxed mac and cheese. It's even Andrew Zimmern's go-to for decadent fried eggs. And if you want the best dipping sauce for crab legs, Gwen Wolken from A Sweet Thyme says it's a top choice.

"Browning butter for a sauce adds a rich, nutty flavor and a deeper, more complex taste," Wolken told Food Republic. "The toasted milk solids add a warm, slightly caramelized aroma that will complement the crab's sweetness. Browning will also help improve the sauce's texture, which will help to coat the crab meat more evenly."

Making brown butter only takes about 5 minutes, according to Wolken. Simply pop cubes of butter into a pan on medium-low heat and stir constantly. While it's melting, expect the butter to sizzle and become foamy. You know when brown butter is done when a toasty aroma wafts from the pan and the milk solids have browned. Then, just transfer the sauce to ramekins and serve it with the crab legs. Or, if you're making it ahead of time, pour it into an airtight container and refrigerate or freeze it. It will last a couple of weeks in the fridge and about three months in the freezer. You can just gently reheat it when you need it for a crab dinner.

While browning the butter already elevates it, Gwen Wolken has some other ideas for jazzing it up. "I prefer to add lemon zest and lemon juice to the butter," she said. "If I am adding herbs, I will typically add parsley, thyme, or dill." Most of these are fairly easy to incorporate, but if you choose to use lemon juice — a classic addition — you'll need to be careful so that the butter doesn't separate into lumps. Stopping your lemon butter sauce from breaking is fairly simple, though — just keep the heat on low and stir constantly. However, if the sauce does break, you may still be able to revive it. Transfer it to a blender with a bit of hot water and pulse until it comes together.

Since browning butter is such a quick process, it can be easy to overdo it. This won't result in a deeper, nutty flavor — instead, you'll wind up with burnt milk solids. To prevent your sauce from burning, be sure to keep a close eye on it and, again, keep that whisk moving in the pan. If you happen to wind up with a burned butter sauce, you may be able to fix it. Provided it still has a pleasant aroma and flavor, you can strain the burnt pieces out using cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer. Then, just serve it up as you normally would with crab legs or any of your favorite simple seafood dishes.