Crab Imperial

Square side shot of traditional crab imperial recipe baked in blue ramekins.

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4.84 from 24 votes

A traditional crab imperial recipe tastes fancy, but this easy dish is ready for the oven in just 10 minutes!

Course Appetizer, Dinner

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword crab imperial, crab imperial recipe, crab meat recipes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings people

Calories 433.5kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely diced onion
¾ cup mayonnaise, divided
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 lb. jumbo lump crabmeat (or see my notes below for substitutions)
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 4 (8-ounce) ramekins or one (1-quart) casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and onion; sauté until soft (about 5 minutes). Set aside to cool slightly.
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, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.

Video

Notes

I prefer jumbo lump crab meat for this recipe, but 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, claw crab meat, or imitation crab meat for this recipe. Readers have reported that Dungeness crab also works well.

Nutrition