Irish's Crab Butter

This crab butter is one of those party dips that disappears before anything else on the table. Softened butter, cream cheese, and mayo get mixed with real crab meat, lemon juice, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce, then chilled until firm and topped with cocktail sauce right before serving.

The cocktail sauce on top isn’t optional. It cuts through all that rich, creamy butter-and-cheese base and gives every scoop a tangy, horseradish kick that keeps you coming back. You can buy it or make a quick version: three parts ketchup to one part horseradish, seasoned with a few dashes of Tabasco.

Don’t use a blender to mix this. A spoon or spatula gives you the right thick, spreadable texture. A blender turns it soupy, and nobody wants to drink crab dip.

Pro Tips

• Soften the butter and cream cheese completely at room temperature before mixing. Cold lumps won’t blend smoothly by hand.
• Chill a full two hours so the dip firms up enough to scoop without collapsing.
• Serve with sturdy crackers like Triscuits. Thin, delicate crackers snap under the weight of this dip.
• Squeeze the crab meat dry before mixing to avoid a watery result.

Variations

• Shrimp version: Swap the crab for chopped cooked shrimp, or use a mix of both.
• Spicy kick: Add extra Tabasco or a pinch of cayenne to the base mixture before chilling.