This classic presentation of a timeless favorite is so easy to make it almost makes itself. And once you’ve tasted the decadent flavor of my crab imperial, it will become one of your all-time favorite recipes.
You don’t see Crab Imperial on the menu very often anymore, and it’s a shame. Besides being a classic restaurant dish, it’s a delicious way to serve lump crabmeat. And this is the same stuffing I use for my Stuffed Flounder.
Other than simply sauteing crabmeat in butter there is no better way to serve Jumbo Lump crabmeat than a golden brown baked crab imperial. Serve it with your favorite sauteed greens and roasted potatoes for a delicious restaurant-style dinner.
What is Crab Imperial?
Crab Imperial is a dish made up of crab meat mixed with an imperial sauce then baked to golden perfection.
You might call it Virginia Crab Imperial, Maryland Style, or Jersey Shore style, but no matter who claims this Eastern Shore Classic, you’re sure to call it delicious.
What is an Imperial Sauce?
An Imperial Sauce is a mixture of mayonnaise, whole eggs or egg yolks, and seasonings, usually including Old Bay. It’s really easy to make and can be used with every type of crabmeat including imitation crabmeat.
**Hellman’s Mayonnaise is best for this recipe, it holds up well to heat.
What ingredients do I need to make Crab Imperial?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make this American Classic. In Chef Speak this is called the Mise en Place which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
What Type of Crabmeat Can I Use?
The source of the crab meat can be from any part of the world that has crabs and includes varieties such as Blue Swimming, Dungeness, Snow, King and of course my favorite Blue Claw.
- Jumbo Lump
- Lump
- Backfin
- Claw
- Imitation Crabmeat
How do I make Old Bay Seasoning?
If you can’t find Old Bay at your markets it’s easy enough to make at home.
- 1 tablespoon celery salt
- 2 teaspoons ground bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 pinch ginger
If you’d rather not make the seasoning, you can always use the recipe as a guideline and use seasonings that you enjoy eating with seafood.
Do you add peppers to crab imperial?
That’s a big no! This dish would never, ever contain bell peppers or onions.
How do I make imperial sauce?
The first step is making the Imperial sauce for the dish. Place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
The next step is mixing the imperial sauce into the crabmeat…. gently! You don’t want to break up the crabmeat, so mix carefully.
**Don’t add all the sauce at one time. Reserve about ¼ of the sauce to add in if needed. The larger the pieces of crabmeat, the less sauce you will need. Smaller pieces will take more sauce. If you oversauce the mixture you can always add a tablespoon of bread crumbs if you can’t drain out the excess sauce. Let the mixture sit for 20-30 minutes and it will absorb some of the sauce, so the mixture isn’t as loose.
Then place the crab imperial mixture into a Scallops Shells or your choice of baking dish and place it on the center rack of your oven for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Should I top Crab Imperial with Bread Crumbs?
While the bread crumbs may add texture and color to the dish, they are just stealing flavor from the crab meat. So I would never top something as elegant and delicious as crab imperial with bread crumbs.
What Else Can I use Crab Imperial For?
This crabmeat mixture is perfect for stuffing Lobster, Shrimp, or Mushrooms. And if you love crab meat make sure to try my Famous Crab Cakes Recipe!
Wouldn’t you love to sit down to this delicious dish? My Maryland Style Crab Imperial was always a hit at my restaurant and one taste will make you understand why.
Cooking Tip:
Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes (top will turn golden brown) or until a thermometer gets an internal reading of 165 degrees. This will ensure that the eggs in this recipe are fully cooked and safe to eat.
Using a digital insta-read thermometer will help you cook this dish to perfection and be a great help in your kitchen.
If you’re looking for an easy meal for a special occasion, or if you just want to treat yourself, do try this classic dish, you’ll be very happy you did!
Recipe FAQ’s
Crab Imperial is a dish made up of (any type) crab meat mixed with an imperial sauce. It’s then baked to a golden perfection
No, freezing crab meat is not a good idea. The imperial sauce is not enough to offer protection from freezing and you’ll be left with a very unsatisfying crab dish.
Crab Imperial has a sweet and savory flavor and is very similar to crab cakes without the addition of a filler. It contains many of the same ingredients as a traditional crab cake recipe, but crab imperial is a richer version of the dish.
My first choice will always be American Blue Claw crabmeat, Jumbo Lump is the best crabmeat for this dish, but lump crabmeat is also acceptable! It has the sweetest taste and richest flavor of all the crabmeat available, well worth the splurge.
And fresh crabmeat, generally found in plastic containers is the best crabmeat. Pasteurized crab meat comes from Asian waters these days and doesn’t have the same flavor.
More Recipes You’ll Love!
Maryland Style Crab Imperial
Ingredients
- 1 lb jumbo lump crabmeat or lump
- ½ cup Hellman’s Mayonnaise (Best foods or Dukes Mayo are also good)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon old bay
- 1 teaspoon Italian parsley finely chopped
- 1 large egg lightly beaten lightly beaten (for a richer version use two egg yolks)
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- old bay sprinkle on top of the finished crab imperial before baking
Instructions
- Mix mayonnaise, egg, sugar, old bay, lemon juice and parsley together and blend well, this is your imperial sauce.
- Gently fold crabmeat into, imperial sauce, being careful not to break up crab meat.
- place portions in the baking dish of your choice, using ramekins or small casserole dishes
- Spinkle tops of crab imperial with old bay or paprika.
- Bake in 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes (top will turn golden brown) or until a thermometer gets an internal reading of 165 degrees
- Allow to cool just a few minutes before serving, it will set and be more flavorful as it cools slightly.
Danielle
This Maryland girl now living in Tennessee is making this tonight as part of our Valentine’s Day dinner. This recipe looks the closest to my old one that I just can’t seem to find since we moved. Thank you for sharing. I know it will be fabulous!
Debbie
Maryland girl in Florida now and making this for Valentines dinner as well!
I make extra mayo & egg to pour over top before baking, but have been using Chef Dennis’ recipe for years.
Enjoy!!!
Natalie
Hello, can you offer a substitute that would work in place of the Mayo?
Chef Dennis Littley
You could make a light bechamel sauce to use instead of the imperial sauce, but it’s not going to have the same consistency or flavor.
Bechamel:
1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp flour to make a roux, then add hot water (normally I would use stock or milk, but I don’t think that would help the flavor) to make the bechamel to make a sauce close to the consistency of mayo. After the bechamel has cooled, it will thicken, If necessary, thin it out to the consistency of mayo, then add your seasonings to the sauce. Only use as much sauce as you need, don’t add it all at once.
Kitty White
My mom’s recipe calls for a béchamel sauce- which is why I’m here, having searched the web for a better recipe!
I noticed that you gave some tips, Chef Dennis, for making a pound of expensive crab meat go a long way. So I’ll share what my mom jotted down on her recipe card: “chopped hard-cooked eggs will extend;” makes sense to me! I didn’t try that trick since it’s just my husband and me now, but I hope someone finds it useful.
Mine are in the oven right now. I sprinkled half with paprika, half with Old Bay, and see which I like better.
Thank you Chef Dennis!
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks for the comment and the tip about the hard-cooked eggs. I’ve never been a fan of bechamel in crab imperial and only advise using it for those that don’t like mayonnaise. The imperial sauce is so much better.
I hope you enjoy the crab imperial.
JoLynne Dougherty
Hello Chef Dennis,
I am putting it in a shallow casserole dish to cook. Should I grease the casserole dish? Thank you in advance.
Chef Dennis Littley
no you don’t need to grease the casserole dish. In my restaurant we used a small round casserole to bake the crab imperial in and never greased them.
Peggy Ingram
Can this be frozen?
Chef Dennis Littley
It can be frozen before cooking, but it will not be as good as it would be without freezing. Crabmeat does not freeze well, but the fact that its surrounded by the imperial sauce will help prevent it from breaking down.
Walt
If I were to add dry sherry to this recipe, how much sherry should I add? Or… should I wait and invite my guests to add their own sherry if they so choose?
Chef Dennis Littley
dry sherry does not go with crab imperial. Dry sherry is sometimes added to crab or turtle soup, but never added to crab imperial.
Joanna simmons
I want to make you Maryland style crab imperial for Xmas day. Can I put it together the day before & bake day of?
Chef Dennis Littley
yes you can. Keep the mix well covered and refrigerated and you should have no issues.
Daisy
This turns out perfectly every time. This time I added finely chopped red and green peppers. I smear a tablespoon of mayonnaise on top of the crab meat and sprinkle Old Bay on top before baking. Delicious.
April Hannon
Hello! Two Maryland Girls, here! We are making this as one of our appetizers for Thanksgiving, and wondering if this recipe will suffice for 5 people. We have vintage glass deviled crab holders and are serving 2 other apps. Thank you!
Chef Dennis Littley
That will make a great appetizer and will be enough for 5 people.
Ashley
I have been searching for a recipe that comes close to Crabmeat Remmick, a dish at my favorite old-school restaurant in the OBX, for many years. This was excellent!! I added shredded mozzarella and sprinkled Old Bay over the top (I baked in two ramekins). Close as I have ever come to replicating the dish. Simple and quick also. Thank you so much!
Chef Dennis Littley
you are very welcome and I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the crab imperial… I love the Outer Banks!
Karen Meyers
Outstanding! We enjoyed this tonight with baked fish.
This Maryland girl thanks you most sincerely for sharing the recipe and your incredible talent.
Chef Dennis Littley
You’re very welcome and I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the crab imperial! I hope you find more delicious dishes on my website to try.
Sue
I am going to make this this weekend but am wondering why there is no imperial sauce like so many others?
Is it dry without?
Thank you.
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m not sure what you mean, there is an imperial sauce in the recipe, otherwise it would just be crab meat.
Kate Baldino
Hi!
I do not have a little ramekin dishes, I would like to bake it in a glass casserole square pan. How much longer do you think it will take to cook it?
Chef Dennis Littley
It all depends on how big the casserole is and how deep the mixture will be. As long as it’s not too deep, it should only take an extra 5 minutes to bake. I would use an instant-read thermometer to make sure it has reached 165 degrees F in the center of the pan.
Ashley
Hi, Sue!
Made last night and followed the recipe, folding the crabmeat into the Imperial Sauce. It bakes up wonderfully and isn’t dry at all. Hope this helps.
Linda
Delicious and easy to make! We’ve never had Imperial Crab before (or have heard of it) But thought it sounded good. We live in northern California so we used Dungeness crab. We will make it again. Thank you!
Chrisie
If you double or triple the recipe and put it in a baking dish how long should you bake it .. thank you … I love crab .. this imperial sounds wonderful..
Chef Dennis Littley
It should take an additional 10-15 minutes depending on how deep the baking pan is. The best way to tell for sure is to use an instant-read thermometer and make sure the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees. You don’t want it to cook too long because it can dry out.
I don’t if you saw my crab dip recipe, it is OMG delicious! https://www.askchefdennis.com/hot-crab-dip/
M Lanza
Love this!!! I mix about a quarter cup each, bread crumbs & Parmesan, add to top and broil for the last 3 min! YUM!! Serve with garlic – cheesy bread!
Li Chase
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I don’t get crab very often, and when I am in a place where I have access to it, I never really know how to cook it. I have to eat gluten free, and this was a nice gluten free recipe; highly recommended for other celiacs. I cut out the sugar- (for the commenter worried about sugar, it tastes absolutely great also without sugar). I make my own mayonnaise. And of course I sprinkled it with Old Bay Seasoning on the top, with extra parsley after it comes out of the oven. Very nice; I will definitely make this again!
Elizabeth
Hi, I’ve seen several different versions of this recipe. I’m curious as to why you add sugar. Does it make the crab sweeter?
Chef Dennis Littley
it doesn’t make it sweet at all. Sugar like salt is a flavor enhancer and I feel the sugar helps balance out the flavors. But its not a deal-breaker if you want to leave it out. This is how I made it for 30 years at my restaurants.
Mike
I think this is the dish I’ve been searching for ever since eating it at Olive Tree on a work trip to Aberdeen, MD several years ago! I live in the midwest and anything crab served in a mound is a crab cake to me, which lead me to search for this dish in vain. I’m trying it as soon as I get true MD lump crab.
Thank you, chef for sharing this!
Mike
I meant to rate if five!