Maryland Creamy Crab Imperial Food

TRADITIONAL MARYLAND CRAB IMPERIAL RECIPE

Steps:

• Add butter, flour, and milk to a sauce pan and heat over medium heat, while stirring, until it's well blended and thickens. Allow to cool slightly.
• Transfer your white sauce to a large bowl and mix in the crab meat, beaten egg, pimiento, mayonnaise, dry mustard, salt & pepper.
• Place mixture into 4 crab shells, scallop shells, or individual baking dishes.
• Sprinkle equal amounts of bread crumbs, Old Bay Seasoning, & thin slices of butter to cover the tops of each serving.
• Bake in 350 degree fahrenheit oven for approximately 15 minutes. Then turn your oven on broil for 3 to 4 minutes, while keeping a close eye on them, to brown the tops.

CRAB IMPERIAL

Steps:

• Saute green pepper in butter until translucent, but not brown.
• Add to crabmeat, salt and pepper. Stir in mustard, mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce. Put in buttered casserole. Top with bread crumbs, a few pats of butter, and sprinkle with crab boil seasoning. Bake for 25 minutes in a preheated 375 degree F. oven.

CRAB IMPERIAL II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, combine crab meat, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, cayenne pepper, dry mustard, and beaten egg.. Mix thoroughly.
• In an 8" pie dish, spread mixture and lightly coat the entire dish with bread crumbs. Then sprinkle the top with paprika. Dot the dish with the butter.
• Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes.

MARYLAND CRAB IMPERIAL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat.
• Add onion and stir until very lightly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes.
• Blend in flour, ground red pepper, white pepper and mace and stir 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add milk,half and half, and sherry and cook until thick and smooth, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Remove from heat;stir in mayonnaise, lemon juice and salt; set aside.
• Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat.
• Add crab and cook 1 minute, being careful not to break up chunks.
• Gently fold sauce into crab.
• Spoon mixture into 5 or 6 cup au gratin dish.
• * Recipe can be prepared 2 to 3 hours ahead to this point. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate immediately.
• Sprinkle top with paprika.
• Bake until mixture is bubbling and lightly browned, about 12 to 15 minutes.
• * If crab has been prepared ahead and chilled, cooking time may increase to 20-25 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

RACHEL'S CRAB IMPERIAL

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x9-inch baking dish.
• Melt the margarine in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour, and cook a few minutes until the bubbles begin to subside. Whisk in the milk, and cook over medium-high heat until thickened. Stir in the crabmeat, Worcestershire sauce, green pepper, and beaten egg. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring constantly until quite thick. Spoon into the prepared baking dish.
• Place the breadcrumbs into a mixing bowl, and drizzle with the melted butter. Toss together until the breadcrumbs are evenly moistened with butter. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the crab mixture.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the casserole has firmed and the bread crumbs are golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

CRAB IMPERIAL (BALTIMORE STYLE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Melt butter in a heavy small saucepot over medium heat. Add shallot and stir until very lightly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes.
• Blend in flour, white pepper and mace and stir 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add half-and-half, egg yolks, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and sherry and cook until thick and smooth, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in mayonnaise, lemon juice and salt, and gently fold crabmeat into sauce, being careful not to break up chunks.
• Fill either shells, oven-proof shells, ramekins, or small oven-proof bowls.
• Sprinkle tops with paprika.
• Place onto a cookie sheet and bake until mixture is bubbling, about 12 to 15 minutes, and serve immediately.

EASTERN SHORE CRAB IMPERIAL

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly coat 6 large scallop shellswith nonstick cooking spray or, if you prefer, lightly coat a 6-cup au gratin pan or shallow casserole; set aside. Place the crab in a medium-size mixing bowl and set aside also.
• 2. Tear the bread into small chunks, letting them drop into a mini food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade. Using 3 to 4 brisk pulses, reduce to moderately coarse crumbs. Drizzle the melted butter over all and pulse 2 to 3 times to incorporate. The crumbs should now be moderately fine. Tip onto a piece of wax paper and reserve.
• 3. Add the parsley, salt, black pepper, and cayenne to the processor (no need to wash the bowl or blade), and pulse briskly 3 to 5 times until the parsley is coarsely chopped.
• 4. Add the mayonnaise and mustard and churn until smooth, about 5 seconds. Scoop on top of the crab and toss lightly to mix.
• 5. Mound the crab mixture in the scallop shells or spread evenly in the augratin dish, and scatter the buttered crumbs on top.
• 6. Bake uncovered on the middle oven rack until bubbling and touched with brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
• 7. Serve at once, accompanying with a tartly dressed salad of greens. Roasted asparagus spears also make a delicious accompaniment.