Deviled Crab
Buttery baked crab with tender bread, onion, egg and cayenne makes a rich, savory dish with just enough heat.
Prep 15 min · Cook 30 min · Total 1 hr · Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
- 3/4 stick unsalted butter
- 3 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 scallop shells or 5-oz shallow ramekins
Directions
- Set the oven to 350 degrees F and position the rack in the middle. In a small heavy skillet, melt the butter with the onion over medium heat, moving it around now and then, until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes.
- Pull the bread into tiny pieces and arrange it in 1 layer in a shallow dish or pie plate. Spoon the warm onion-butter mixture over the bread, then leave it alone for 15 minutes so the bread can soak it up.
- Add the crab, egg, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss everything together gently, trying not to break up the crab more than necessary.
- Spoon the mixture into the shells and bake until the crab has only just begun to brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve right away.