Deviled Crab
Fresh-picked lump blue crab meat gently folded, not aggressively mixed, with breadcrumbs, egg, mustard, and hot sauce, then packed into cleaned crab shells and baked until golden. Chesapeake blue crab has been part of American cooking since the 1600s; "deviled" is an 18th/19th-century culinary term for heavily seasoned food, and the mustard and hot sauce here are what earn the name, not any single defining ingredient.
Seafood
⚠ Contains: Shellfish, Egg, Gluten, Mustard. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh lump or backfin blue crab meat, picked over for shells
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, plus 2 tbsp extra for topping
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce, or to taste
- 2 tbsp green onion or parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp butter, melted, for topping
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Steps
- Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Butter 4-6 ramekins or clean crab shells.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire, hot sauce, Old Bay, salt, and pepper.
- Gently fold in the breadcrumbs, then fold in the crab meat and green onion, taking care to keep the lumps intact.
- Divide the mixture among the shells or ramekins, mounding slightly.
- Sprinkle the extra breadcrumbs over the tops and drizzle with melted butter.
- Bake 18-22 minutes until golden brown on top and heated through.
- Serve hot with lemon wedges.