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.
Jessica
I love this recipe, but your website is awful. Ten thousand ads take forever to load.
Chef Dennis Littley
Sorry Jessica, I’m switching companies this Monday and hopefully that will speed up the download speed.
Rennie
Wow, i don’t think i have ever seen this many comments on anything. Anyway, recipe sounds delish. My mother, born in Baltimore, was the queen of crab imperial. She baked it in a large scallop shell about 4 x 6 inches in size, IT was 2nd only to her Lobster Thermidor. I Can’t wait to recreate this in her memory.
Chef Dennis Littley
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do Rennie!
MGS
When I retire, if I move away from the area, there are a few things I will miss; the maryland crabs, clams, oysters, the Baltimore Ravens, and screaming “O’s” in the middle of the Star Spangled Banner. Hey hon, some people think it’s irreverent but ya know… a Marylander named Francis Scott Key, Esq. wrote the lyrics and set it to the tune of a drinking song written by a Brit. But I digress….
I’m going to have to try this recipe. It looks easy and quick. The old recipe I have calls for making essentially a hollandaise sauce, seasoned with Old Bay (the best spice on Earth), parsley, that you’d spoon and bake in a crab shell until golden brown and squeeze fresh lemon juice on it right before serving. The biggest albeit most time consuming trick to this recipe (which even the finest of chefs can mess up) is getting the Hollandaise right.
Bill Di Berto
It was the late 60′ on the road to Annapolis and wanted to eat at the Wagon Wheel
and listen to the honky tonk piano man do his Scott Joplins. Signature dish was Crab Imperial….
stayed for the second set, different piano man and had one more order of Crab Imperial.
That was the last time I saw it mentioned until now . So, thanks and we’ve decided to order the lumb crab
canned (any suggestions for this West Coast guy?) And then make your crab cakes using both lump crab and Dungeness.
Bill
Thanks for the good memory.
Chef Dennis Littley
Glad you enjoyed my post Bill! As for crab substitutions I’ve never used any other type of crabmeat but dungeness should work in the recipe. Either cook your own fresh or look for a nice lump meat in the store. You don’t want to use shredded meat for imperial, it not only affects the eye appeal but also the texture.
let me know how you make out
Kathleen
I have made this AMAZING recipe a few times and have shared it with family and close friends. I’m from the Chesapeake Bay area and can honestly say that this is an exceptional, easy to make recipe. I have received several compliments on it. Like the saying goes, “Try it … you’ll like it !!”
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks so much for the feedback Kathleen, Happy to hear that you’ve been enjoying my recipe!
Sheila
I was looking for something to do with crab for dinner tonight. I ran across this recipe and was reminded of my Grandmother who used to make crab imperial. I even inherited her crab shaped ramekins. Thanks for the memory.
Chef Dennis Littley
You’re welcome Sheila, I hope you got to try the recipe, its one of our family favorites!
Dave
Chef D
Absolutely outstanding and simple to make recipe. My wife is not a big fan of seafood but she loves the crab imperial. We have made it several times and plan on making it again in a couple of days. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Any side dish suggestions?
Thank you
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks for the feedback Dave, and I’m very happy to hear that you’ve been enjoying my crab imperial recipe. As for side dishes I like dressing up the plate a bit with asparagus and roasted potatoes but it all depends upon what you enjoy eating and the season. We love tomato salad during the summer with just about anything.
Cheers
Dennis
Todd
Great, simple, yet versatile recipe! My wife and I just had this last night and it was awesome. I substituted 1/2 pound bay scallops for 1/2 the crab that was called for and it was delicious. I served it alongside pan fried chilean sea bass. We actually spooned the sauce on top if the bass and it pretty much rocked.
Charlotte
I was searching for a crab imperial recipe. I stumbled on your recipe. It is sooooo much more simpler than any other with lot less ingredients. I want to taste crab and not the other stuff. My question: Do you have to have the sugar? What does the sugar do for the dish? Can’t wait to try it.
Chef Dennis Littley
hi Charlotte, thanks for stopping by and as for the sugar, no you do not need it, I just use it as a balance to the old bay. Sugar and Salt are both flavor inhancers and used moderatley can help flavors, so I use either or depending upon the dish.
Please let me know how it turns out!
Dennis
sarah
Hello! I live just outside of ocean city, md and have all my life. We crab and eat our catch all summer long. I am almost 31 and have never made crab imperial. I looked at a dozen recipes and yours sounds the best and doesn’t seem to take away from the crab itself. Tomorrow is my hubby’s bday and his favorite is stuffed rockfish so I intend on making the imperial from your recipe tomorrow night. Can’t wait to surprise him, THANK YOU!
Chef Dennis Littley
I hope you and your husband enjoy this dish as much as we do Sarah! After moving to Florida real crabmeat is not an easy item to find and we do miss imperial and crabcakes!
Lynn
I am sooo glad I found you and this recipe! My mother used to make this for Christmas eve every year and haven’t had it forever! I love to cook and come from Alexandria VA…now in Florida! I made this last night and it was amazing..and rich! If I wanted to pound a chicken breast out and wrap it around some of this and perhaps drizzle a little hollandaise over the top do you think that would be too much? Also….would I need to cook the chicken prior to putting the crab imperial inside? THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
Chef Dennis Littley
hi Lynn
so happy to hear you enjoyed the Imperial, it is one of our favorites as well! As for stuffing a chicken breast with it, I actually use to do that in my restaurants and you don’t need to precook the chicken breast just make sure to pound it fairly thin. Try to completely seal the imperial inside the chicken and also keep the imperial a little moister than usual so it doesn’t dry out as much as the chicken will absorb some of the liquid. Another fun thing I used to do was to precook the stuffed chicken, let it cool and then wrap it in puff pastry to finish it off, now thats a show stopper and your hollandaise would be a great idea with either stuffed version!
cheers
Dennis
p.s. now you need to try my tiramisu so you have a dessert to go along with this delicious creation!
Thelostcook
From the New Orleans area where seafood is plentiful and always have crab available we tried this recipe and loved it. Originally from Frederick,Md we are used to more Old Bay, otherwise excellent taste and very easy to make. Haven’t had it for years, glad we found this site on a rainy weekend!
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m glad you found me too! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed the crab imperial!
KATHI GEISBERT
I’M FROM FREDERICK, MD TOO AND I JUST STUMBLED UPON YOUR RECIPE. IT SOUNDS LIKE A TRUE MARYLAND CRAB IMPERIAL RECIPE AND I PLAN ON MAKING THIS FOR MY NEW YEAR’S DAY GUESTS! I’LL FOLLOW UP WITH A REVIEW ONCE I’VE PREPARED AND CONSUMED IT!!!
Chef Dennis Littley
I hope you enjoy the crab imperial as much as we do Kathi!
Chef Dennis Littley
not at all, please feel free to use what you need, and thank you very much for asking. I look forward to reading your post.
Debbie
I don’t usually keep Hellman’s in my house and don’t really care for it. Can I substitute another mayo or is this brand a must for this recipe?
Chef Dennis Littley
you can use another type of mayo Debbie. I have found that some of the generic brands don’t hold up to the heat as well, and that’s why I always use helmans
Debbie
Thanks, I will go ahead and try Hellmans. I think it has a sweeter taste but hopefully not in this recipe. The reviews seem great so I am going to try it.
Kathy
I used Kraft Lite mayo to make mine and it came out just fine. Also, when I make crab cakes I DO use Worchester sauce, but NOT in the crab imperial .. I think it would detract from the delicate taste, however, I do use more Old Bay than your recipe called for. Being a Marylander, Chesapeake Bay … we tend to use Old Bay in our crab dishes more than non-Marylanders. It’s just a matter of upbringing and tastes.
Frank
Dennis you forgot to show the Lea&Perrins like in your crabcake recipe
Chef Dennis Littley
I usually don’t put it in my imperial when its stand alone Frank, but please feel free to add it in, it certainly won’t hurt! Thanks for thinking of me, though I do miss things from time to time!