- 12 crabs.
- 1 cupful of cream or milk.
- 1½ tablespoonfuls of butter.
- 1 tablespoonful of flour.
- 1 tablespoonful chopped parsley.
- 1 teaspoonful salt.
- ½ teaspoonful paprica or dash of cayenne.
- ½ teaspoonful of lemon juice.
- Yolks of 4 hard-boiled eggs.
To obtain enough meat to fill nine shells, use twelve crabs. After they are boiled remove the meat with care, breaking it as little as possible.
Put into a double boiler the cream; when it is scalded add to it the flour and butter, which have been rubbed together; stir until smooth and thickened; then add the mashed yolks, the seasoning, and the crab meat. Mix well together, and taste to see if more seasoning is needed. Deviled crabs need to be highly seasoned. A little mustard may be used, if desired. Have the shells carefully washed and dried, and fill them with the mixture, rounding it well on top, and pressing it close to the edges of the shells, so that in frying none of the fat may enter. Smooth the top, and let stand until cold. Beat one egg with one tablespoonful of water, and, holding a shell over this, baste it with the egg, letting it run over the whole top, including the shell; then sprinkle with white bread crumbs. Put two at a time into a frying-basket, and immerse in very hot fat. It will take but a minute to color them. They may be browned in the oven, if preferred, in which case the egging is omitted, and a few pieces of butter are placed on top of the crumbs.
STUFFED CRABS WITH MUSHROOMS
- Meat of 6 crabs.
- Mushrooms cut into dice the same quantity as of the crab meat.
- 1 cupful of cream or milk.
- 1 slice of onion.
- 1 tablespoonful of butter.
- 1 tablespoonful of flour.
- 1 teaspoonful of salt.
- ½ teaspoonful of paprica, or dash of cayenne.
- ½ teaspoonful of lemon juice.
- Yolks of 4 hard-boiled eggs.
Put into a saucepan one tablespoonful of butter, and one slice of onion chopped fine; before it becomes brown, add one tablespoonful of flour; cook, but not brown; and add slowly one cupful of milk or cream. Stir until smooth and thickened; then add the mashed yolks, the seasoning, the crab meat, and the chopped mushrooms. This mixture should not be very soft. Fill the shells with it, and finish the same as deviled crabs.
SOFT-SHELL CRABS
Wash the crabs carefully; lift up the flap, and remove the sand-bag (stomach), gills, and intestine; dry them well, and dredge with salt and pepper. Roll in flour, and sauté them in butter. Have a generous amount of butter in the frying-pan, and sauté them on both sides; when done place them on a hot dish. To the butter in the frying-pan add a little lemon juice. Strain this over the crabs, and sprinkle them with parsley chopped very fine.
Soft-shell crabs may also be fried, in which case they are first dipped in milk, then covered with fine bread-crumbs, and immersed in hot fat.
They may also be broiled over a slow fire, and when done covered with maître d’hôtel sauce. The preferable way of cooking them is by the method first given.