Ready to learn how to make clarified butter? Butter is seafood’s best friend! So, if you’re going to have a seafood feast, you might as well bring the best butter.
You’ve probably had clarified butter without even knowing it, especially if you like to eat out at your local restaurants.
Clarified butter is simply clear butter, which is made by removing the milk solids and water from a traditional stick of butter. There are many benefits to using clarified butter in your recipes, and it's an easy way to take your meals up a notch.
Clarified Butter
Most commercial butter is 16-17% water. This high water percentage means that butter has a much lower smoke point than your typical cooking oil and can burn quickly when used to fry or sauté foods.
When you clarify butter, you raise the smoke point by removing the water. Typical commercial butter has a smoke point of 350° F, while clarified butter has a smoke point of 450° F.
The higher smoke point of clarified butter makes it ideal for searing, frying, and sautéing, even if you’re using high heat. The flavor of your clarified butter will also be more concentrated and nuttier, making it ideal for a final drizzle over your favorite meal.
If that wasn’t enough to make you want to start clarifying your butter, know this – clarified butter can be stored much longer than typical butter. You can keep it without refrigeration for up to one month and with refrigeration for up to six! But because it’s so flavorful and easily used in place of commercial butter, we doubt it’ll last that long anyway.
HOW TO MAKE CLARIFIED BUTTER
Don’t worry – clarifying your butter is easy and only takes a few minutes! Our friends at Mr. Stick’s are here to show you can get perfect clarified butter in no time.
- Start with high-quality butter (we recommend our Grade A Hand Rolled Salted Butter).
- Put a pound of butter in a saucepan.
- Melt the butter gently over low heat until it’s simmering.
- Skim off any froth/foam you see on the surface using a slotted spoon. (A normal spoon will also do the trick!) Continue to skim of the foamy top until froth is no longer appearing. This should take about eight to ten minutes. When you’re done, you should have a layer of milk solids on the bottom of the pan with a clear layer of butterfat on top.
- Get to dunking! And, add in at least two teaspoons of Mr. Stick’s “Just Add Butter” Seafood Seasoning for a lemon and garlic punch.
- If you’re able to resist and you have leftovers, store them in an airtight glass container.
Taste the difference for yourself! And grab some wild-caught king crab and seafood while you're at it!