DEVILEDDEVILED CRABCRAB
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
Adapted from Tom Fitzmorris’s New
Orleans Food (Abrams, 2018)
This recipe can be served as a side dish to
pasta, entrée salads, or fried seafood.
⅔ cup butter, divided
¼ cup chopped yellow onion
¼ cup chopped red bell pepper
¼ cup chopped celery
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
¼ teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound fresh jumbo lump
crabmeat, picked free of shell
3 tablespoons chopped green onion
2 teaspoons salt-free Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1½ cups bread crumbs
Lemon wedges and white rémoulade or
tartar sauce, to serve
Garnish: thinly sliced green onion
- Preheat oven to 375 ̊.
- In a large skillet, melt ½ cup
butter over medium-high heat until
it bubbles. Add onion, bell pepper,
and celery; sauté until softened. Add
wine, lemon juice, mustard, curry
powder, and Worcestershire, stirring
to combine. Bring to a boil; cook until
liquid is reduced by half. Add crab,
green onion, Creole seasoning, and
salt. Stir gently, trying not to break up
lumps of crabmeat too much. Remove
from heat. Add bread crumbs, and
gently stir just until combined. - Place 8 clean crab shells or
6 (6-ounce) gratin dishes on a sheet
pan. Divide crab mixture among shells
or dishes. Top each with about ½ to
1 teaspoon remaining butter. - Bake until tops bubble and brown,
about 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with
lemon wedges and white rémoulade
or tartar sauce. Garnish with green
onion, if desired.
Note: The crab mixture can also be mixed
with 2 lightly beaten large eggs and formed
into cakes or balls. Refrigerate for 8 hours
or overnight to fi rm, and bake on a sheet
pan in a preheated 375 ̊ oven for 20 to
25 minutes or even deep-fry at 325° for
2 to 3 minutes until golden brown.