Any native Virginian has probably enjoyed the sweet, savory and rich taste of Crab Imperial. This traditional dish is made with lump crabmeat, topped with Parmesan cheese, and baked in the oven until golden brown. It tastes fancy, but the easy recipe is ready with just 10 minutes of prep!
Those of us raised in the southeast (and in Maryland) are very familiar with the wonder of blue crabs. The Chesapeake Bay and the Tidewater region are full of the popular shellfish, so dishes like Crab Cakes and Crab Imperial are practically a way of life. These recipes have become an ingrained part of the local culture, and most home cooks have their own favorite version.
What is Crab Imperial?
Crab Imperial is a classic American dish made with crabmeat that has been combined with mayonnaise or a sherried white sauce, and spooned into blue crab shells or scallop shells. The crab mixture is topped with Parmesan cheese or bread crumbs and baked until golden brown.
Crab Imperial tastes sweet and savory, and is very similar to crab cakes without the filler. Since it contains many of the same ingredients as a traditional crab cake recipe, Crab Imperial basically tastes like a baked crab cake in a casserole dish! We're not adding breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs to bulk up the dish. Instead, each individual serving is bursting with lump crabmeat in a creamy, delicately seasoned sauce.
How to make Crab Imperial:
You can certainly serve your Crab Imperial in shells, but I've used individual ramekins here for ease. You can also bake one larger casserole dish if you prefer. It's an easy 30-minute meal. Let's get started!
Ingredients for Crab Imperial:
- Red bell pepper
- Onion
- Butter
- Mayonnaise
- Dijon mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
- Egg
- Pepper
- Old Bay seasoning
- Crabmeat
- Parmesan cheese
The best crab meat for Crab Imperial:
Jumbo lump crab meat is the best of the best! While it’s also the most expensive crab that you can purchase, it’s well worth the investment for special occasions. Nothing else has the same rich, buttery texture, bright white appearance, and large chunks.
I buy the refrigerated jumbo lump crab in the seafood section at the grocery store (not the canned version). This crab meat is fully cooked and ready to use in recipes.
If you don’t want to splurge on a container of jumbo lump crab meat, you can also use lump crab meat (which is a little bit smaller than the jumbo lump) or even backfin crab meat (or a combination of these). I do not recommend using canned crab or claw crab meat for this recipe.
Step 1: Sauté Bell Pepper and Onion
Cook the red bell pepper and the onion in butter just until soft. Allow the vegetables to cool.
Step 2: Stir together Ingredients
Meanwhile, whisk together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, egg, pepper and Old Bay seasoning.
Add the cooled vegetables and the crabmeat, and gently stir to combine.
Step 3: Divide Mixture Between Individual Dishes
Spoon the mixture into individual ramekins or one 1-quart dish.
Spread a dollop of mayonnaise on top of each dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Step 4: Bake Crab Imperial
Bake the dishes in a 400 degree F oven for about 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
How to serve Crab Imperial:
Crab Imperial is served as both an appetizer and as an entree, and is best warm from the oven. Since crabmeat is expensive, serving smaller portions as appetizers in scallop shells can be a nice way to stretch the quantity that you have.
The Crab Imperial also makes a great special occasion dinner. A little bit goes a long way (thanks to all of those rich ingredients), so a small 8-ounce ramekin should feed one person. Pair the dish with a couple of lighter sides for the perfect meal!
Sides that go well with Crab Imperial:
- A loaf of No-Knead Bread or Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- Corn on the cob
- Skillet Cornbread
- Crispy Seasoned Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Aunt Bee’s 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits
- Coleslaw
- Caesar Salad or a simple green salad dressed in Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette
- Sauteed Spinach with Garlic
Nutrition Information:
This Crab Imperial recipe is a keto-friendly low-carb dish. Each serving has about 433 calories, 36 grams of fat, 22 grams of protein and only 1.3 grams of carbohydrates.
Preparation and Storage Tips:
- Make Ahead: You can prepare the Crab Imperial up to 1 day in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Allow the dishes to come to room temperature on the counter for at least 30 minutes before baking. It's perfect for entertaining!
- Leftover Crab Imperial will keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
- Do not freeze Crab Imperial. The creamy mayonnaise mixture will "break" when thawed.
- To reheat Crab Imperial, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the dish in the hot oven and bake just until the dish reaches the desired temperature (about 10 minutes).
Cook's Tips and Recipe Variations:
- I prefer jumbo lump or lump crab for this recipe, but you can substitute with backfin or a combination of lump and backfin. I do not recommend using canned crabmeat.
- If available, use a wedge of Parmesan cheese and grate it yourself instead of using canned pre-grated Parmesan cheese. The freshly-grated version has a richer taste and melts better.
- If you don't have individual ramekin dishes, you can substitute with one 1-quart baking dish.
- Use the Crab Imperial as stuffing for shrimp, salmon or flounder. This is another great way to stretch the flavor of the pricey crab.
- Many recipes call for sherry, which I do not include here. If you like, you can add a splash of sherry to your mayonnaise mixture.
- Cooking Just for Two? Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake two portions of the recipe instead of 4. The rest of the instructions remain the same.
More crab recipes that you might enjoy:
- Crab Cakes
- Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
- Mom’s Best 10-Minute Holiday Crab Dip
- Aunt Bee’s 5-Minute Crab Bisque
Virginia Crab Imperial
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely diced onion
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¾ cup mayonnaise, divided
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 lb. crabmeat (jumbo lump, lump or backfin)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 4 (8-ounce) ramekins or one (1-quart) casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Sauté the bell pepper and onion in butter to soften. Cool before mixing.
- In a large bowl, whisk together ½ cup of the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, egg, pepper and Old Bay seasoning. Stir in the cooled vegetables. Add the crab and gently fold to mix, being careful not to break up the crab.
- Divide the mixture among the 4 prepared dishes. Use the remaining ¼ cup of mayonnaise to spread about 1 tablespoon on top of each dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.
Notes
- Make Ahead: You can prepare the Crab Imperial up to 1 day in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Allow the dishes to come to room temperature on the counter for at least 30 minutes before baking. It's perfect for entertaining!
- Leftover Crab Imperial will keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
- Do not freeze Crab Imperial. The creamy mayonnaise mixture will "break" when thawed.
- To reheat Crab Imperial, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the dish in the hot oven and bake just until the dish reaches the desired temperature (about 10 minutes).
- Cooking Just for Two? Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake two portions of the recipe instead of 4. The rest of the instructions remain the same.
Hello. Can't wait to make this recipe but with two changes. It sounds very close to the Baked Crab Au Gratin en casserole that Grotto #9 serves at the San francisco Fisherman's Warf in their florentine dining restaurant. I will however, leave out the red bell peppers, as they are not in the Grotto's recipe which costs $75.00 a servicing. I will also use Dungeness Crab as that is what we have here in California.
Thanks for posting.
Sounds great, Kathi! Let me know how it works with the Dungeness crab! I've never tasted that variety of crab. 🙂
Kathi,
Never judge a recipe until do it ACCORDING TO THE DIRECTIONS! If you wanted The San Francisco's version, you should have asked THEM for their recipe. You do not sound like a person who understands the nuances of a recipe
Sterling
Your response was unnecessarily arrogant. Try to encourage others rather than discourage them.
I agree with you whole heartily Sir. This sounds like a Fantastic recipe just the way its written. It was OK to have mentioned the restaurant but to change this recipe because it's not the way they serve the crab isn't very respectful of the author of this recipe. In my humble opinion.
I'm originally from Virginia...boy, did this bring back memories. This recipe is AMAZING. I'll be making this for every special occasion..
It can't be beat.
Thank you, Angela! I'm so glad that you loved it and that the recipe brought back good memories. Thanks for taking the time to come back here and let me know!
What do you spread the crab imperial on, toast? Baguettes?
Hi, Beth! We usually just enjoy it on its own -- eat it with a fork straight from the dish. It would be delicious spread on baguette or crostini, though -- like a hot crab dip!
That sounds like permission to scarf it down! It’s on my list to make real soon!
Hah! Totally! 🙂 Enjoy!
Yay! I’m so excited! I’m making this recipe right now! The dish is in the oven right now. I did not cut the recipe in half for just the two of us. I want to enjoy as much as I want!
Sounds perfect. I hope you enjoyed the meal, Beth!
In Maryland, we serve it on a warm puff pastry.
Oh, I bet that's delicious!!
sounds good can this be made all in one dish.don't have small ones) if so time and temperature please also what to serve with for dinner? or ca this be made wih a rice or potatoe in mixture? thanks
Hi, Jean! Yes -- in the post I note that you can prepare the recipe in a 1-quart casserole dish if you don't want to use the smaller ramekins. The cooking time and temp for the 1-quart casserole dish will be about the same, although you may need to add a few minutes to get it hot and bubbly. Just keep an eye on it. 🙂
In the post above, I've listed a number of side dishes that go well with the crab for dinner. Enjoy!
Fabulous. I am a crab cake snob. But I’ll never bother with them again. I Did not do the red pepper or onion and upped the Worcestershire and added 1/4 tsp cayenne. Followed the rest of the recipe and was totally wowed!
Thank you, Buzzer! That makes me really happy to hear!
We love this recipe! I have used twice to "stuff" salmon with. I cut the recipe in half and omit the mayo and parmesan on the top for the stuffed salmon. If I were making the exact recipe I would follow the recipe to the T. I have been generous with the Old Bay and sprinkle a little on the top before baking the salmon.
That sounds amazing, Vleve! Thank you so much for the great tip!
I incorporated this recipe to use as a stuffing for a Portabello Mushroom. last evening for the Maiden Voyage of my Air Fryer (an Emeril LaGasse model)! I grew up in the 1950s until age 7 in Buckroe Beach and Hampton Roads area and remember simple crab dishes so well! This recipe turned out runny, sad to report. I AF'd it at 370* for 11 minutes, and will try again at 380* for 12 minutes; it was not hot enough, nor cooked through, and the crab (Dungeness) was stringy. I am hopeful for leftovers cooking today with remaining mixture will go better! I was just too skitzed out by the new gadget to try too much on my own in testing it out. The taste is superb, though!
Hi, Corinne! I wonder if the air fryer was the difference, since it cooks through just fine in the oven? I've never tried it in an air fryer, so I don't know how that would compare or translate with the oven time and temp. Also, I always use blue crab, so maybe that makes a difference in the final texture? Glad you liked the taste! 🙂
I saved 1/2 to reheat in toaster oven today for brunch, and it was so good. It was the "Maiden Voyage" for the Air Fryer; I needed to set it at 380 for 12-13 minutes instead of 370 for 11, I think, but the way I had it at 370* for 11min, the cheese on top was the perfect color and doneness!
[My family is from Highlands County near Bath, Staunton, Lone Fountain was where I lived every Summer in the 50s & 60s. Miss Virginia, so much!]
Oh, good! So glad that it was a success. Highland County and the Bath/Staunton area is gorgeous! And you're right -- not too far from us. 🙂
Super yummy delicious & easy. The only recommendation I have, is if you’re using a convection oven turn the temperature down to about 385 and cut about five minutes off the cooking time. But super easy and super yummy.
Thanks, Karen! 🙂