Deviled Crab
Rich & tasty, Deviled Crab is an easy yet special entrée or appetizer. Full of delicious crab, it’s perfect for a beach lunch or date night!
It’s a dish with elements of elegant and casual. You could eat it in a restaurant or on the beach. But a nice beach.
Captiva 1/2020
Alas, no Captiva vacation this year. But I don’t have to let my dining suffer!
I got this recipe from one of my regular blog reads, Back Road Journal, with wonderful recipes and travel photos. And the lump crab came from a company that brings fresh Texas seafood up to Wisconsin and sells out of a truck. Yum, and yum!
Step by Step Directions
Happily, the dish was not at all difficult to prepare. You start by sautéing vegetables
Preparing the binding ingredients 
Mix everything together 
Top with buttered bread crumbs 
Bake until golden
Then enjoy!
How to Serve
Often you will see deviled crab served right in a crab shell. I didn’t have shells, but I had these cute little frying pans. I bought them ages ago figuring one day they’d come in handy. Ramekins would work beautifully as well–or it can be made in a larger casserole and served family style.
I added an easy homemade remoulade (recipe here) that I heartily recommend. The creamy heat was a perfect complement!
Sides might include green beans, roasted veggies, cole slaw or salad. I served with my Kale Brussels Sprout salad. But the entrée is rich and more filling than it looks so I recommend going easy on the extras. 
The Bottom Line
This recipe was rich and tasty and a huge win!
In the end Deviled crab is quite similar to (our much beloved) crab cakes, but without the troublesome need to form patties. And maybe just a touch more fun.
How can you beat a dish that feels just right—for date night or for watching your team win its playoff game! 
Deviled Crab
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 1 stick celery diced
- 1/4 cup bell pepper diced (any color)
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 Tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce or ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
- salt and pepper
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 8 ounces crab meat lump style
- 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs lightly toasted
- 1 Tablespoons butter melted
- 1/4 cup panko or Italian breadcrumbs, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Melt 2 Tablespoons butter and sautee the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic and cook until softened but not brown. Remove from the heat and let cool. Move to refrigerator (or even freezer if you watch carefully) for faster cooling.
- Whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, hot sauce or cayenne, salt and pepper in a bowl. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. Add the egg, crab, parsley, breadcrumbs and cooled onion mixture. Fold together gently to keep crab lumps intact.
- Divide the crab mixture into buttered individual baking dishes (or larger casserole). Prepare the topping by adding the melted butter to the panko breadcrumbs. Sprinkle atop the crab mixture.
- Set into a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the crab mixture is warmed through and the breadcrumbs are golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes.
Thank you so much Inger for the mention. I’m always thrilled when someone makes and enjoys one of my recipes. Your little frying pans were a cute way to serve the deviled crab.
Thanks so much for sharing Karen!
I love this dish! The texture the flavours, everything seems to be stunning
Thanks Raymund–we enjoyed it!
I really love deviled crab, make it whenever I can get good crab meat. (As you probably know from your daughters experience, and your experience for visiting her, good crab is not something we find often in Arizona!) I am bookmarking this for future cooking fun!
Yes, definitely an import in Wisconsin too. Sadly enough, we have taken such poor care of our beautiful Great Lakes that many of those fish are not safe to eat on a regular basis.
It’s so sad that you didn’t get to travel, but this can dish feels like holiday and indulgence.
I’ve always told myself, that if things are not right in the world/my world at least if I can eat good food, something will be right!