Recipes

[novamc1]

For years, I have used a  simple recipe common in the Chesapeake Bay crab region  to bake crab imperial in individual ramekins.  Have always followed the same recipe that uses one egg along with the mayo and other ingredients.

Have saved other recipes using no  egg as a binder for the crab mixture, relying on the mayo alone to help hold it all together during baking.  Want to try one of those other recipes tonight.

  Has anyone made this without egg?  Would like to know which you prefer if you've tried both ways.

The price of jumbo lump crab is out of sight  (over $40 per pound) and the product isn't even sold these days in many places, so I shouldn't take too much risk.  It took several tries and different grocery stores just to find two little 8-oz. containers.

Pasteurized lump crab used to come from the U.S.  What I'm using tonight is wild-caught and imported from the Philippines.

_________

This is the recipe I use.  Would welcome other ideas.

CRAB IMPERIAL--4 to 5 servings

Preheat oven to 350 or 375 degrees.

Lightly grease  a single shallow casserole dish or individual au gratin dishes or ramekins.

Drain 1 pound of crabmeat of  liquid, pick out any stray shell, and place in a separate bowl.  Sprinkle crab with a little fresh lemon juice, if desired

Ingredients:

--One beaten egg

--1 cup mayonnaise (I'd cut that down to 3/4 cup or even  a little less if you prefer)

--1/2 to 1 whole tsp. dry mustard or prepared mustard

--1/2 to 1 whole tsp. Old Bay or other seafood seasoning

A couple dashes of Worcestershire

Lightly buttered panko or cracker crumbs for topping (optional)

Mix egg, mayo and seasonings in a bowl. Fold together crab and mayonnaise mixture.

Spoon into a mound in  casserole(s).

Top LIGHTLY with buttered  crumbs. Sprinkle a little Old Bay (or paprika) on top for added color.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until lightly  browned on edges and golden on top.

[roster]

Google is a great resource. Check it out.

[deepwaterdotter]

As tasty as Crab Imperial looks to be, I have never eaten it as an entree.  As close as I have come is this recipe from an old issue of Cook's Illustrated for crab cakes that uses non-egg Imperial sauce as a binder:

1 1/4 cups mayonnaise

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp hot sauce

1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1 1/2 lb lump crabmeat

1 1/4 cups saltine cracker crumbs

4 chopped green onions

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Mix mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and Old Bay seasoning in big bowl.  Reserve 1/2 cup to serve at table.

Fold crabmeat, saltine crumbs, and onions into sauce.  Form into 8 patties.

Saute 4 patties in 2 tbsp hot oil until golden brown.  Repeat with 2 more tbsp oil and other 4 patties.  Serve with reserved Imperial sauce.    

[novamc1]

Thanks for the crab cake recipe, but I'm not a big fan of crab cakes unless they are made like  certain good seafood restaurants do, with just lump crab and no fillers such as cracker or bread crumbs.

I have saved a number of crab imperial recipes,  about half of which call for one egg and half do not include egg at all.  I'd like to know from people who make this dish whether no egg works for them.  I'm thinking of leaving it out  for the first time.

I might really like it that way, but maybe not.

[sunshine45]

absolutely LOVE crab imperial on its own or topped on shrimp or steak. also love crab cakes and crab au gratin.

i can find jumbo lump here in my area of maryland for about $20 - $25 a pound, but it is NOT from maryland or the usa. it is still very tasty and huge lumps of crab meat. i know that not everyone wants to eat crabmeat from other areas, but it is GOOD.

my crab imperial recipe is very similar to the one you posted @novamc1 .

crab au gratin

https://therecipe.website/crab-au-gratin-2/

[Q-Checker]

@novamc1 -- thanks for the recipe! Born and bred in Maryland, I am a fan of all things crab.  Ergo, there is no such thing as "or other seafood seasoning." There is ONY the real thing, which would be the Old Bay Seasoning you mentioned first, of course! I so miss the back porch crab feasts of my childhood days when crabs were not expensive and crab feasts were kind of a regular summer thing in my neighborhood.

[novamc1]

@Q-Checker

Back in the early 1970s, my future DH and I used to go  often with friends to a crab joint on the Chespeake Bay and gorge ourselves on fresh crabs.  You know the type......newspaper spread on top of a crude table and people pounding away on those crabs with mallets and shell crackers.  Those were the days!!!

Down here in Georgia, they don't seem to care or know much about crab, because it's darn hard to find.

The Costco  near us when we lived in the DC suburbs and the Costco down here were selling one-pound tubs of Phillips Jumbo Lump Crab but Costco says it hasn't had any of that for a long time.

I've shopped and shopped here for Old Bay seasoning  in recent weeks to replace my stale container, but it's always sold out.  I opted for Paul Prudhomme's "Seafood Magic" seasoning.  It will do for the time being, I guess.

[patbz]

@novamc1 : Old Bay is readily available on Amazon; I just checked.

[deepwaterdotter]

@novamc1 My last visit to Costco I purchased 3 1-lb tubs of lump crabmeat because I feared a future shortage.  Looks like my 'spidey-sense' was spot-on.  And the "use by" date is next year.

[roster]

Might try looking at Martha Stewart's recipes. She probably has a recipe without all the fillers, crackers, bread, etc.