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.
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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.
Flo
Can I make this ahead of time for Christmas, a day or so?
Chef Dennis Littley
You can make it a few hours ahead of time, but if you let it sit too long it will begin to weep. You also have raw eggs in the sauce, so thats also a reason not to make it too far in advance.
Holly
I have 3 lbs of lump crab meat, I want to make one dish using all 3 lbs, any pointers doing this?
Chef Dennis Littley
You can make 3x the recipe and bake it all in a casserole dish. Try to keep it 1 1/2 – 2 inches deep. Any deeper and it will take too long to bake. As for time to bake, I’ve never made one this size but I’m guessing 30-40 minutes. I would use a instant read thermometer to make sure its at least 165 degrees. If it starts to get too brown cover with foil until done.
Douglas A Burns
Chef I’m in Florida and we’re in the middle of stone crab season, I needed another way to cook these claws besides cracked and dipped in butter or crab mustard. I was so tempted to put a pat of butter on top before baking and I’m so glad I didn’t. (never doubt a chef) It was delicious can’t
wait to serve to my friends.
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my recipe and the stone crab meat worked!
Sue Sober
I will be making us forcompany next weekend. Can I substitute Hellmann’s light mayonnaise for the regular ?
Chef Dennis Littley
I have never used light mayonnaise to make the imperial sauce, so I’m not sure. It should be okay, but I can’t guarantee it will not separate. Extra heavy mayonnaise like Hellman’s is crucial and I’m not sure if the light mayo will hold up to the heat. You might want to get a small jar of regular for this recipe.
Ashley
Wow! This is SO good. I was looking soft keto meals while recovering from oral surgery when I found this. Not only was it super easy to make, incredibly decadent, easy to eat, but it was DELICIOUS. I served it with mahi mahi and green beans. Thanks so much for this recipe. I will make it again.
Cindy
Delicious and easy to make! I followed the recipe exactly using claw meat from my local grocery store, then baked it in a muffin tin for individual portions. It came out perfect. Thank you!
Kris
I made this tonight with wild caught Super Lump crab from Costco (Northern California). It was absolutely delicious just as the recipe followed. I spent a decade on the East Coast and this was just like I remember. It was decadent. Served it with grilled asparagus and artichokes. I will save and make often. A true treasure of a recipe. OMG. We loved it so much. Thanks!
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the crab imperial, I hope you find more recipes on my website to try.
Ellie
This is my go-to recipe for company. So easy to prepare ahead in the afternoon and refrigerate, then pop in the oven after company arrives.
I get to enjoy my company instead of being ,around in the kitchen with last minute preparations. Yes, I agree with Dennis that Maryland blue crab is the best.
Carole P
I added 1 tsp. of Dill Weed and 1 Tbs. Dijon Mustard to the Crab Imperial to kick it up a bit. It was so delicious. Thank you for your recipe! 😋
Mary Kennan
Our local meat market stocks frozen cooked jumbo lump crab meat. Would that be suitable for use in this Crab Imperial recipe?
Chef Dennis Littley
Crabmeat does not freeze well, the structure of the crabmeat is made mostly of water and freezing tends to make the crabmeat stringy and tough. Frozen crabmeat will work, the sauce will help it but I hate to see you spend a lot of money for jumbo lump that’s been frozen. I’m not a fan of pasteurized crabmeat from outside of the US but that would that would be a better choice, even if they only have lumb.
Mary Kennan
Very helpful. Thank you so much.
Janette Moss
Hi! I just began to follow your recipes and I was happy to find your section on Lo carb as I generally follow keto. However I was interested in the crab cake when I read sugar. I plan to leave it out and I hope there are no bread crumbs in following lo carb recipes. Thank you
Lupe
Classy all the way, thank you keep us educated in the culinary world.
Kathy
I’m excited about trying this recipe. What would you serve with it?
Chef Dennis Littley
I would serve roasted potatoes or rice and a green vegetable (asparagus or green beans) or a nice mixed vegetable medley.
Mary Ann
Hi Dennis. I want to top shrimp with this crab imperial. Any suggestions? How long would I bake it?
Chef Dennis Littley
Hi Mary Ann
I have a recipe for shrimp topped with crab imperial _> https://www.askchefdennis.com/crab-stuffed-shrimp/
Stacy
Can a sugar substitute be used?
Chef Dennis Littley
Yes, you can or just leaving out the sugar would probably be better. If you do add a sugar substitute, be careful you don’t want it to be sweet.
Lois Luckovich
I’m on the West Coast of Canada so it will be Dungeness crab in my Imperial.