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You can make decadent Garlic Butter Sauce for Seafood in less than 10 minutes with 4 simple ingredients. It’s the easiest way I know to take the flavor of all kinds of seafood from good to extraordinary.
Serve warmed in little bowls for dipping cooked crab or prawns; drizzle over seared scallops or roasted or grilled salmon or cod; toss with pasta and pan-seared shrimp for an easy, but elegant main course. A rich blend of melted butter, tender garlic, fresh lemon and dill, you’ll find endless uses for this sauce.
Table of Contents
Ingredients You Need to Make Garlic Butter Sauce for Seafood
- Butter: salted butter or unsalted butter (ideally European-style high fat, good quality butter to minimize water and milk solids)
- Garlic: fresh garlic cloves
- Lemon: fresh lemon juice and zest
- Dill: or dried dill
- Kosher Salt
Recipe Options
- Swap fresh sage, chives, basil or parsley for dill or use a combination of fresh herbs.
- To make Spicy Garlic Butter Sauce, add freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes for spicy kick.
- For Cajun Garlic Butter Sauce use Cajun seasoning instead of or in addition to salt.
- Or stir in classic Old Bay Seasoning in place of kosher salt.
- If you’re not a dill lover, make my Garlic Butter Sauce instead.
How to Serve
This buttery sauce is ideal for serving with fresh seafood like: lobster tails, king crab legs or snow crab legs; broiled, grilled or boiled shrimp, and for seafood boils. It’s also great for drizzling over fish like: Slow Roasted Salmon, Grilled Tuna Steaks and Grilled Swordfish Steaks.
How to Make Garlic Butter Sauce for Seafood
In a small skillet over medium heat, cook and stir garlic in sizzling butter until fragrant. Off heat, stir in lemon juice and zest and dill. Season to taste with salt and serve.
Garlic Butter Sauce for Seafood
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 6 large garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 large lemon juice and zest
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh dill or rounded 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat butter in a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat until sizzling. Add minced garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, 30-45 seconds (or longer for milder garlic flavor, but do not let garlic brown). Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and zest, and dill. Season with salt to taste and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this and it was too lemony
Hi Tye – I’m sorry this wasn’t quite what you were looking for.
I made this sauce last night for some snow crabs. I had fresh dill and everything else it called for so I thought I would try it. It was fantastic my whole family loved it. Thank you for the assist.
That’s wonderful to hear, Jodie! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
Is it possible to use olive oil instead of the butter. I love the butter but trying to make a healthier version.
Hi Crystal! Yes, absolutely. And if you want to add a bit of butter flavor – even 1 tablespoon will make a difference.
Yeah, butter, garlic, lemon, and fresh herbs (I prefer thyme or rosemary, but dill sounds like a lovely idea, too) make an excellent pairing for any seafood dish. With a glass of wine wine, of course 🙂
I love the way you think, Ben! Thank you for your kind comment.