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.
Philip Grey
Thank you, thank you, thank you>
Chef Dennis Littley
you’re very welcome!
Lacey
This recipe looks amazing. Could pasta be baked in with this? Will I need to up the ingredients?
Chef Dennis Littley
Lacey this really wont mix in quite as well with pasta, the sauce sets up when it bakes and binds the crabmeat together making a light fluffy crab dish. There would not be enough sauce for pasta and its not the right type of sauce. I would suggest just using a marinara, aioli, or alfredo with your crabmeat and either baking it or serving it over pasta
Laura in Maryland
Thank you, Chef for this recipe – I love, love, love crab imperial and have been on a quest for a recipe for one for quite some time. It is perfect stuffed in mushroom caps, and also made stuffed chicken breasts with it – fantastic recipe. It’s gone straight to the top of my favorite recipes list!
Chef Dennis Littley
thanks Laura, I’m glad you like my recipe and crab imperial is a wonderful thing! when I stuff chicken breasts with imperial I take it one step further, I precook them a bit allow them to cool then wrap the stuffed breast in puff pastry dough. If that doesn’t make your guests sit up and take notice nothing will!
Mark
Been living in Maryland all of my life. I don’t usually enjoy crab imperial when I go out to dinner. The added ingredients throw off the taste for me. However, it has been awhile since I have had crab imperial and I stumbled across your recipe this evening and went ahead and gave your recipe a shot. By far, this is the best crab imperial I’ve ever had. It did not throw off the taste of the crab for me. Finally, a crab imperial I enjoy. I felt the least I could do is drop a note to say thanks for sharing your recipe. This one is a keeper!
Chef Dennis
Thank you Mark! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed my crab imperial. I love using it in many applications asa stuffing for shrimp, mushrooms or flounder. Add about a half a cup of bread crumbs to the mixture and it makes an amazing crabcake!
thanks again for your feedback!
Cheers
Dennis
Mark
Your crab imperial was the star. I actually was trying a mix of ideas I had. I made a buttered toast point with mozzarella. Topped that with a fried red tomato, a little more mozzarella, then the crab imperial with a scallop in the center. Topped lightly with mozzarella and Old Bay seasoning then drizzled with butter.
The whole thing turned out better than I expected. The contrasts of texture and flavors worked out well.
I wanted to use cheddar, but I did not realize I was out until it was too late, so mozzarella it was.
Elizabeth Klotz
Crab Imperial is an all-time classic and growing up in MD, we had it as often as we could afford it! However, skip the sugar in this recipe and substitute about half of a diced red pepper. Saute it in a little butter before mixing it in with the sauce. The butter will turn red and really pick up the red pepper flavor. This adds a natural sweetness to the crab imperial and makes it extra good! I put them in my crab cakes, too. Also, stuffing mushroom caps with this is a great way to share a lb of crab with alot of people. I made 32 of them last time and took it to a cookout in Southern Illinois. Most of these people had never had jumbo lump crab and everyone loved them!
Florida Wendy
I’m so glad I stumbled on to your site! I am originally from Baltimore. I’ve lived lots of places, but there is nothing like good B-More crabs. I was homesick and could not find my moms receipe for imperial and yours looked great. Tried it, ate it and it was delish!! Thanks!
Chef Dennis
Thanks for letting me know Wendy! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed my imperial. It makes a great crabcake too, I have a recipe for them on my blog too.
Dennis
Sally Smith
My grandfather used to make Crab Imperial and had special little crab shaped ramekins that he put it in. My brother still makes it and uses the same little ramekins plus some more that he found on eBay.
Chef Dennis
I remember those ramekins, we used to serve it in those as well!
Brenda
Do I add the freshly squeezed lemon in with the crab mixture or on top after it’s baked? Can’t wait to try this recipe and thanks for publishing it!
Chef Dennis
hi Brenda
actually add the lemon into the imperial sauce when mixing everything together. Thanks for pointing that out to me, I adjusted the recipe to show where it goes. You can of course serve it with some fresh lemon for those that enjoy adding it to their seafood, but mostly I use it just as a garnish on this dish, it really doesn’t need anything at all.
The imperial makes a great stuffing for flounder, mushrooms or on top of shrimp for stuffed shrimp. And by adding a 1/2 a cup of bread crumbs to the mix it makes excellent crabcakes, that you can either bread and saute or leave unbreaded and bake.
Let me know how it turns out
Cheers
Dennis
Maryland Cook
Living in Maryland I have eaten a lot of crab imperial so I feel I can judge it fairly well. This recipe is simple and very, very good. The beauty lies in not too many ingredients, letting the sweetness of the blue crab shine through. Great recipe and great to serve for dinner guests in individual ramekins. Highly recommend
william
I first tasted this classic at my after prom night in 1952. Thank you for keeping the traditon alive.I
Chef Dennis
you’re very welcome William!
Kathy
We are from Maryland, transplanted to Florida and have had this while living there. I made this and we absolutely loved it!!! However, I used about a tablespoon of old bay in 16 oz of lump crab. It’s really not too much at all and gives it the “Maryland” made taste. I will be making it again for my husband, probably Valentine’s Day. It’s a dish we really, really enjoyed. The picture alone made our mouth water!!!!
Sarah
This is a great recipe! Had with french bread and a salad. It is so simple and good.
Chef D
Happy to hear that you enjoyed it Sarah! It works great for stuffed shrimp, stuffed flounder and stuffed mushrooms, it was always a favorite in my restaurants.
Sue
Excellent recipe!
Chef D
thank you Sue!
Kathleen
I worked at a restaurant in Rehoboth Beach DE 3 decades ago and we served as an app crab imperial in a mushroom cap, I have been looking for the recipe for ages so I can recreate a perfect bite! Thank you for posting this, can’t wait to make and use for a party this weekend!!!
Nancy
I tried the Maryland Jumbo Lump Crab Imperial recipe tonight and I thank you! It was wonderful and simple to make. My family and I loved it.
Chef D
Thanks for letting me know Nancy, I’m happy to hear it was a hit! I love using that same stuffing for stuffed flounder, and stuffed shrimp too! Also if you add some bread crumbs in, it makes a great crabcake!
The Mommist
Oh my!!! Looks great! I’m obsessed with decapod crustaceans. I can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe. 🙂 Bless your good soul!