Crab Imperial

Growing up, I was very limited on what types and styles of food I had. This was in no way my parents fault. I grew up in a small Pennsylvania town outside of Erie. Our culinary and cultural options were limited. So, as I began to expand and seek out new flavors in my quest to be a foodie, I had a few flavor barriers I had to push through. One of those barriers was crab.

I hated crab. So, so much. Crab was only worth the butter it came with. Of course, although I do love butter… It was like the ultra fancy worst dish at any party. So, as I expanded my foodie world, I tried to avoid crab, until I met its match.

Crab. Fucking. Imperial.

 

Crab Imperial is the richest, most delicate way to prepare crab. It calls for a pound of crab to be folded into mayonnaise along with some other ingredients. It’s heaven in my mouth hole. As my friend Amelia would say, ‘There is a party in my mouth”.

I am providing the link to the recipe I used below. I did make a few adjustments. I added salt and pepper, a dash of cayenne and I mixed in about half a cup of bay scallops for some substance. I also used some Old Bay Crab Cake Classic mixture on top of the dish to make a crust and add texture, but it isn’t necessary. I enjoy this dish with a crust and without one.

Several of the recipes online tell you to serve it on a shell, sort of like you would do with caviar. Although I live on an island, I am running a bit low on my shell dishes recently, so I didn’t have any for serving. So I ate it like normal, non-shell having human; A fork and bowl.

The fork and bowl did not diminish the sensual (Yup, I said sensual), flavor of this dish. Marshall and I ate it as our dinner, but it can be a side to a light Caesar salad, or Cacio e Pepe. (This is a dish I will be making at some point in the future. It was my go to meal during chemo, and it is beyond easy to make.)

After creating Crab Imperial just one time, I was hooked. It is now a comfort dish for me. Again, I wish all of you could try this dish. I am positive that you will all enjoy it as much as I have. Lets not forget the fact that this dish is essentially crab doused in mayonnaise, so really, how can one go wrong?

https://www.askchefdennis.com/maryland-jumbo-lump-crab-imperial/

Next week, be on the lookout for ‘Poulet Roti a la Normande’, a Fourth of July sail boat post, and maybe, just maybe…  Boeuf Bourguignon!

Love the food you eat!