Deviled Crab

Name: Deviled Crab
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: Makes 8 first-course servings
Ingredients: 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter; 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion such as Vidalia; 1/2 cup finely chopped celery; 1 lb jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over; 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 8 saltine crackers; 1/4 cup medium-dry Sherry such as Amontillado, or to taste; Cayenne or Sherry pepper sauce* to taste; 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste; Special equipment: 8 (5-inch) scallop shells** or 3-oz shallow baking dishes

August 20, 2004

In his cookbook, John Martin Taylor suggests baking and serving the deviled crabmeat in crab backs (shells), a presentation he learned from Alice Marks, one of Charleston's great cooks. But since most people purchase their crabmeat already picked from the shell, we baked our deviled crab in store-bought scallop shells instead.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 50 min

Recipe notes

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