If you’re having a small New Year’s gathering (or if it’s just the two of you), I’ve got a great suggestion: King Crab Legs with Drawn Butter.

Easy. Elegant. Oh, yes, a bit expensive (which makes it extra special!).

King Crab is sweet and delicious, and unless you live in Alaska or further up north, it’s already cooked (and frozen) when you buy it. All you have to do is thaw, reheat and eat!

There are several ways to prepare King Crab, but I like to steam-reheat them in the oven. For a step-by-step tutorial on how to do it, click here.

Because this is a special night, I like to serve them with drawn butter (also called clarified butter). Drawn butter is butter that has been melted with the milk solids removed. You can also season it with herbs or lemon juice if you like. Drawn butter is also great to drizzle onto steamed vegetables.

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial for How To Make Drawn Butter:

Clarified Butter

prep: 5 minutes
cook: 15 minutes

serves 6, 2 tablespoons each

you’ll need… 

½ pound butter

let’s get to it…

1. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan on low heat.

2. Milk solids (in the form of white foam) will cloud the top: DO NOT STIR.

3. When butter is completely melted and small bubbles  begin to form around the edge, turn off heat. Let stand 3 minutes.

4. With a small ladle or spoon, skim off the milk solids.

5. You’ve made drawn butter! Try not to disturb any milk solids remaining on the bottom of the saucepan when you pour it bowls for dipping the crab.

For more Kitchen How-To and Tips, Check out my Extra Helpings Tab!

I’ve looked in several stores and I can’t find clarified butter… do they sell it? This recipe says “serve with clarified butter”… what is clarified butter anyway?

To answer your first question, yes stores and markets sell clarified butter. You’ll find it in most specialty stores, like Whole Foods or Gelson’s, and usually on the shelf, not in the refrigerated section like regular butter. But don’t let them give you ghee and tell you it is clarified butter… but I’ll explain that in a bit.

To answer your second question, clarified butter, also known as drawn butter, is unsalted butter that has had the milk solids and water removed from it… so all that is left is the golden yellow butter fat. Clarifying removes the milk solids, which can burn, and the water, which can spatter. I don’t know what you’re preparing, but clarified butter is great for cooking at high temperatures because it has a high smoke point. The downside is that it doesn’t have the rich flavor of butter because all the milk is gone, but it is still more buttery tasting than, say, olive oil, so you’re still good.

But now I have a question for you: why would you even buy clarified butter? If you are preparing a recipe that calls for clarified butter, you must have something going on in the kitchen… so why not make it yourself … it is not that difficult.

One pound of butter makes about 12 ounces of clarified butter, and it will keep in the refrigerator for 6 months. It is perfect for sautéing because food won’t burn or stick. I use it to make butter-based sauces like Hollandaise or Béarnaise and for finishing vegetables . Clarified butter also makes a fabulous dipping sauce for shellfish or fish.

Oh… and back to “ghee.” Technically, ghee is clarified butter… but the butter is cooked longer so the water evaporates and the milk solids are browned in the butterfat and then strained. The taste of ghee is different… it is kind of nutty with more depth. It is used in Indian cuisine, so you may have heard of it or tasted it and not even known what it was.

I hope this clarifies everything. Ahemmm…

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