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Sunday Brunch: Deviled Crab

Posted by Ed Levine, December 23, 2007 at 9:45 AM

There's everyday humdrum deviled crab, which is still pretty good, and then there's Edna Lewis' deviled crab recipe, which is as good as good gets. Serve this with a simple green salad with a mustard vinaigrette and you will have a fine brunch, lunch, or even supper.

Deviled Crab

- makes 6 servings -

Active time: 30 minutes
Start to finish: 1 1/4 hours

Ingredients

1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 stick unsalted butter
3 (1/2-inch-thick) slices good-quality white sandwich bread such as a pullman loaf, crusts discarded
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Equipment: 6 (4- to 5-inch-wide) scallop shells or 5-oz shallow ramekins

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Cook onion in butter in a small heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Tear bread into very small pieces, then spread in 1 layer in a shallow dish or pie plate. Pour onion and butter mixture over torn bread and let stand 15 minutes.

3. Add crab, egg, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and gently toss.

4. Divide mixture among shells and bake until crab is just starting to brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

2 Comments | Tags: brunch, crab, Edna Lewis

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