Food and Recipes Seafood Crab Deviled Crab Be the first to rate & review! Vibrant, fresh crab is the star in one of the Lowcountry's greatest dishes. By Sean Brock Sean Brock Raised in rural Virginia, Sean Brock is a distinguished chef and restauranteur known for his involvement in the repatriation of the Southern pantry and cuisine over the past 20 years. For over a decade, he was the chef and partner of McCrady's and McCrady's Tavern in Charleston, South Carolina, as well as the founding chef of Husk Restaurants. In 2019, he laid down roots in Nashville to open four ambitious and unique restaurant endeavors: Joyland, The Continental, Audrey, and the forthcoming June. Brock won the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Southeast in 2010, and is a four-time finalist for Outstanding Chef, as well as a three-time finalist for Rising Star Chef. His first cookbook, Heritage, is a New York Times Bestseller and winner of the 2015 American Cooking James Beard Award. Brock's second book, SOUTH, was also a New York Times Best Seller and was nominated for a James Beard Award. Brock hosted season 2 of the Emmy Award-winning television show Mind of a Chef, produced by Anthony Bourdain. In 2019, Sean was featured on the popular Netflix show, Chef's Table. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 8, 2023 Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Prep Time: 20 mins Total Time: 55 mins Servings: 12 Deviled crab is one of the great traditions of the Lowcountry. Unfortunately, due to the many more-breadcrumb-than-crab, freezer-burned versions out there, most people turn their noses up when they think of it. I can't really blame them—bad deviled crab is really bad. But man, good deviled crab is damn tasty. To make vibrant, fresh, moist deviled crab, use delicious Carolina Gold rice to help bind the filling. This recipe is a powerhouse of flavor, pulling in fresh herbs, cayenne, smoked paprika, hot sauce, miso, mustard, celery, green pepper, scallions and jalapeño for a big impact. Mayonnaise, egg, and panko give the rice a hand in binding it all together. I like to serve deviled crab in little silver crab tins for a cool, retro presentation, but if you're getting fresh whole blue crabs, by all means, use the shells themselves. You can find more delicious recipes in Sean Brock's cookbook, South: Essential Recipes and New Explorations. What Is Deviled Crab? Deviled crab is a Lowcountry staple, a recipe passed down through the generations as a delicious way to enjoy local blue crab. Traditionally, fresh crabmeat is mixed with seasonings, spices, some mayo, and breadcrumbs before being spooned into crab shells and baked. In Daufuskie, an island off the coast of South Carolina, author and tour guide Sallie Ann Robinson has her recipe from generations of Gullah family members under lock and key. Originally created as a quick lunch for loggers and seafood processors, the dish was called “deviled” due to the heat of spices in the mix. What Makes Daufuskie Deviled Crab So Delicious? Ingredients for Deviled Crab While deviled crab might have a long ingredient list, each component is key to building this powerhouse of flavor. You'll need: Salt, ground white pepper, a bay leaf: For seasoning the rice. Carolina Gold rice: Because it's a Lowcountry dish, so it needs Carolina rice. Panko: To add body to the deviled crab mixture. Egg: Helps hold the deviled crab together. Ketchup, mayonnaise, hot sauce, miso, lemon juice, mustard, salt, white pepper, and cayenne: These season the crab mixture. Celery, bell pepper, scallions, jalapeño, and fines herbes: These add freshness to the mix. The jalapeño is optional but isn't overwhelming. Fresh lump blue crabmeat: You can't have deviled crab without crabmeat. Smoked paprika: Adds a subtle smokiness without a grill or smoker. Butter: Helps brown the top of the dish during baking. For portioning, have on hand 12 crab tins, or 6, 4-ounce ramekins. What's the Difference Between a Crab Cake and Deviled Crab? Similar to crab cakes and crab imperial, deviled crab showcases fresh crabmeat by enhancing it with seasonings and spices. Similar to crab cakes, deviled crab also uses binders like breadcrumbs and egg to keep the mix together. Like crab imperial, its baked in a ramekin or other baking vessel. But a big difference between the three is that deviled crab is the most intensely seasoned. How To Make Deviled Crab This might seem like a complicated dish, but really, it's just a lot of mixing. So here's a brief recap for how to make deviled crab before you get started. The full recipe is below: Step 1. Cook the rice: Combine water, 1 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. white pepper and a bay leaf in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, add rice, and simmer gently for about 10 minutes until rice is tender. Drain and cool to room temperature.Step 2. Break down the panko: Process panko to fine crumbs.Step 3. Make crab mixture: In a large bowl, beat the egg. Add ketchup, mayonnaise, hot sauce, miso, lemon juice, mustard, 2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and 1/2 tsp. cayenne; mix well. Stir in cooled rice, celery, bell pepper, scallions, jalapeño, and fines herbes; fold in 1 cup ground panko and crabmeat.Step 4. Bake deviled crab: Divide the mixture between crab tins or ramekins. Top each with a mix of paprika and remaining cayenne, and softened butter. Bake for 15 minutes, or until hot throughout. Broil for 1 minute before serving. Peter Frank Edwards Ingredients 2 cups water 3 teaspoons kosher salt 3/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper 1 fresh bay leaf 1/4 cup Carolina Gold rice, preferably Anson Mills 1 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs 1 large egg 1/2 cup ketchup, preferably Heinz 1/2 cup mayonnaise, preferably Duke's 1 tablespoon hot sauce, such as Red Clay Original Hot Sauce 1 tablespoon white miso paste (or Hominy Miso from South: Essential Recipes and New Explorations) 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper 1/2 cup small dice celery 1/2 cup small dice green bell pepper 3 tablespoons thinly sliced scallion greens 1 tablespoon minced, seeded jalapeño pepper 1 tablespoon Fines Herbes (equal parts finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, tarragon, chives, and chervil) 1 pound fresh lump blue crab meat, carefully picked over for shells and cartilage 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, preferably Bourbon Barrel Foods Bourbon Smoked Paprika 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature Equipment: 12 crab tins or 6, 4-ounce ramekins Directions Gather ingredients and prepare rice: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Combine the water, 1 teaspoon of the salt, 1/8 teaspoon of the white pepper, and the bay leaf in a small saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and stir to be sure the salt has dissolved completely. Reduce the heat to medium, add the rice, stir once, and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the rice is just al dente, about 10 minutes. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Drain the rice, spread on a rimmed baking sheet, discarding the bay leaf, and cool to room temperature. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Prepare oven and pan: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Pulse panko: Put the panko in a food processor and process until finely ground. You need 1 cup; discard any excess. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Prepare crab mixture: Put the egg in a large bowl and beat it lightly. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Add the ketchup, mayonnaise, hot sauce, miso, lemon juice, mustard, remaining 2 teaspoons salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of the cayenne and mix well. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Stir in the cooked rice, the celery, bell pepper, scallions, jalapeño, and fines herbes and combine thoroughly. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Fold in the ground panko. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Gently fold in the crab. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Fill ramekins: Divide the crab mixture among the crab tins or ramekins, patting the tops lightly to smooth. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Combine the paprika and the remaining teaspoon of cayenne in a small bowl. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Divide the softened butter among the prepared crab and sprinkle with the paprika mixture. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Bake the Deviled Crab: Place the crab tins or ramekins on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until hot throughout. Turn on the broiler and broil the crab mixture for about 1 minute, until golden brown on top. Transfer to a platter and serve. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Recipe Source Excerpted from South by Sean Brock (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2019. Rate It Print Additional reporting by Katie Rosenhouse Katie Rosenhouse Follow us Katie Rosenhouse is a pastry chef and food writer with over 15 years of experience in the culinary arts. She's worked as a pastry chef in some of the finest restaurants in New York City, as a culinary instructor, and as a recipe developer. learn more