Crabmeat Dressing

If you want a truly decadent, once in a great while, crabmeat dish, this is the one. I served this alongside a grilled whole red snapper.  But you could easily bake this inside a whole fish, stuff some of the filling in mushroom caps, or enjoy as a main dish.  Make sure you use fresh white bread crumbs.  No dried bread crumbs in this dish please.

1 pound lump crabmeat

½ cup mayonnaise

1 ½ t. Worcestershire sauce

1 t. Caribbean jerk seasoning

¼ t. cayenne pepper or to taste

1 egg, slightly beaten

2 T. butter

1 rib celery, finely chopped

½ medium onion, finely chopped

3 green onions including green tops, finely chopped

½ green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 T. minced flat leaf parsley

½ cup fine, dry white bread crumbs (approximately), plus additional for topping (about 2 T.)

2 T. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Pick over the crabmeat to remove any bits of shell or cartilage.

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Worcestershire, Caribbean jerk seasoning, cayenne pepper, and the beaten egg; set aside.

In a frying pan over medium heat, melt the 2 tablespoons butter.  Add the celery, onion, green onions, bell pepper, and parsley; cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are soft.

Remove from the heat and allow the vegetables to cool completely.

Stir the cooled vegetables into the mayonnaise sauce mixture.  

Gently fold in the crabmeat and enough breadcrumbs to hold the mixture together without being either too soupy or too dry.

Either spoon into a 2-quart casserole dish.  Sprinkle the top of the dressing lightly with breadcrumbs then drizzle with melted butter.

Place the deviled crab in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the top is a golden brown.  Remove from oven.  Serve hot.

Adapted from What's Cooking America