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.
Maureen
This is THE recipe for an elegant meal that is easy to make. I have made it for Valentine’s Day, anniversaries and New Years Eve. It was greatly enjoyed each time. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Chef Dennis Littley
You are very welcome Maureen! Thank you for taking the time to let me know you’ve enjoyed my recipe and for the great review!
Kinga Brandstatter
Can this be frozen, then baked at a later time, or can it be stored in refrigerator before baking?
Chef Dennis Littley
I would not suggest freezing it. Crabmeat doesn’t freeze well and it will ruin the dish. Also making it to far ahead of time will cause the mixture to water which will also affect the flavor and consistency. It will hold for a day made up but I wouldn’t go much longer
Tammy
Dear Chef Dennis,
Thank you for making my Christmas dinner hot app a real star! I have never cooked crab before, and needed a recipe for lump crab that I Could successfully execute for the first time Your crab imperial recipe is simple enough for any home cook, but delivers a finished meal that any crab-lover would be delighted to eat! All my foody family members thought it rocked!! Highest of fives Chef Dennis!!! I can’t really take credit for the end result because it was your excellent description and simple instructions, but you made me look like a Christmas dinner HERO!
Chef Dennis Littley
Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed my crab imperial recipe Tammy and thank you for the great review! If you’re ever looking for a show-stopping dessert try my tiramisu.
George from Virginia
Look no further, this is the recipe you want! I have a half dozen crab cookbooks and at least two or three dozen Crab Imperial recipes from which to choose. I only selected this because I just happened to have all the ingredients on hand. Lucky me. This simple recipe with easy directions is now my favorite. It’s all about the crab, it doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Chef Dennis has provided the perfect recipe for Crab Imperial, whether you are a novice or professional. I have followed this recipe exactly as presented and it is fantastic. I am using it for the third time now and will vary just a tiny bit by including a teaspoon of dijon mustard and a few capers, but just for a slight different spin for my taste. Chef Dennis, you taught me how to make a perfect Crab Imperial, Thanks! I will be checking out your other recipes!
Chef Dennis Littley
Thank you so much for such a wonderful comment! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this classic recipe!
Arlene
I am looking for dinner idea for lump crab and came across tbls recipe. Simple ingredients and no fuss prep. I’m planning for Sunday dinner. Its a must gotta try right off the bat. Then I started reading the comments and got real excited that this could make Christmas eve menu too. I’ll let you know.
Chef Dennis Littley
Its an easy and delicious meal for sure Arlene. You can even use the mixture to stuff shrimp, lobster or mushrooms.
Amanda J
I am not too crafty in the kitchen, but this looks very do-able and I am looking forward to trying it. My question is: can it be made in one larger casserole dish instead of separate smaller ones? I am wondering if it is a necessity or just the traditional way to serve it. I have a small casserole dish, but nothing the size of a 8 ounce portion like I read somewhere above.
Thanks!
Chef Dennis Littley
hi Amanda
yes it can be made in any size dish you like.
Laura
I live in Alaska and have king crab in my freezer year around. My question is how d you know how much crab is a pound after taking out of the shell? Can’t wait to make this !!
Chef Dennis Littley
hi Laura
a pound of shelled crab meat will be approximated 2 cups. Let me know how they turn out.
Datiece Frazier
Chef this recipe sounds wonderful. I wanted to do something like this to stuff a lightly fried chicken breast. I have two questions. I am assuming I should go ahead and cook the chicken breast and the crab and Peoria separately then stuff the chicken breast with the baked crab imperial? The second question is that I love the taste of Grey Poupon and I was thinking can I add a little bit of that to the mayonnaise or will it be too much?
Chef Dennis Littley
hi Datiece
This sounds really good to me and depending upon how you stuff the chicken it could be done all at the same time but finished in the oven. If you pound out the chicken you can stuff it and roll it, but you’ll end up with a less than flavorful chicken breast to get the stuffing cooked. If you really want to wow your guests I would do it separately and top the fried chicken with a nice portion of baked crab imperial. Just be gentle with it when you take it off the tray and place it on top of the chicken.
By all means, add a little grey poupon to the recipe it will be a nice addition to the flavors. Just keep it as a hint of the flavor.
And thanks for the great review!
Melissa Burch
I had a coupon for imitation crab meat (I love imitation as well as the real thing) – I happened to have Old Bay in the house, as I put it on my deviled eggs instead of just Paprika. I did not have parsley, as I do not really like the taste of it. I made this in a casserole dish at about 25 minutes. Delicious!!! Thank you for publishing this recipe!
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my recipe and I’m sure it was great with imitation crabmeat. Thank you for the great review!
Thankful As Hell
I hope you don’t mind the name. I’m so thankful for this recipe. The first couple times I made it, I used crab. I’ve been making this recipe for some time now but I used salmon instead of crab and it worked wonderfully. I think I will be replacing the salmon with vegetables now as my body and eating habits have and are changing. Thank you so much, Chef Dennis, for sharing this awesome recipe with all of us!!! Please don’t ever take it down!!!
Chef Dennis Littley
You are very welcome and I’m thrilled to hear you tried the recipe with salmon, that is excellent! And don’t worry its definitely staying up, its one of my favorite dishes!
Wanda
You say to add old Bay to the other ingredients but it’s not in the actual recipe, how much should I use??
Chef Dennis Littley
it is in the recipe, it calls for 1 tsp.
KMcD
Yummy. I had the ingredients and did an internet search for what I could make. I needed to make it smaller for the baking dish so measurements weren’t ‘as much’. Also, unfortunately, I only had jarred parsley instead of fresh. It tastes smooth and all the ingredients compliment each other. I will definitely use this again. I filled a small bowl and added a little cheese while it was still hot (I like cheese) and that was good too…but I will stick to your recipe when others will eat it!
Chef Dennis Littley
Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed my recipe for crab imperial. I like cheese too and it sounds like a nice addition!
Patsy
Chef,
I am really excited to make this and need to purchase the casserole dishes. What size would be appropriate for the recipe? I am looking at a set that are 11oz each? Too big?
Chef Dennis Littley
I think the 11oz will be too big. I would look for 8 ounce dishes.
Lisa H
I always struggle with last season’s Dungeness Crab I have stashed in the freezer! No matter how we try to seal and preserve it, the crab meat always seems to taste dry & freezer burned. NEVER AGAIN. I found my “go-to” recipe. I didn’t have Old Bay seasoning (don’t really like it anyhow) so I added a pinch of Italian seasoning, a pinch of dried parsley (because I didn’t have fresh), and added some ground garlic salt. To make it a meal I added some chopped red onion, button mushrooms and an extra egg. It turned out delicious and the leftovers will be perfect for breakfast! Thank you for sharing!!!!
Chef Dennis Littley
hi Lisa-
I’m happy that my recipe can help you enjoy your Dungeness crabs! As for the old bay, I’m also happy to hear you’ve made this recipe your own by changing up the seasonings. Making a recipe your own is a great way to ensure you and your family will enjoy it.
Thanks for the great review and comment!
Lois M Wilson
This is delicious. Had no lemon, substituted lime juice and added a little grated cheddar cheese. Couldn’t have been better. Had a pound and a quarter of crab meat and used the quarter pound to make one ramekin for myself last night. Made the whole recipe tonight and ate one. Have the other four in the fridge cooling and will freeze and will vacuum seal tomorrow to share with my best friends. I live on the Oregon coast and fresh crab is at it’s very best right now. I will be making this recipe again. Have no doubt the frozen ones will be as good as fresh baked.
92 year old Lois
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks for the letting me know you enjoyed my recipe Lois. I’ve never been to Oregon but its on my bucket list!