We always serve crab imperial with asparagus almondine. That’s a French style of asparagus that you often find at high-end restaurants.

It takes less than 10 minutes to make, which means you can keep almost all of your focus on the crab.

Crab Imperial Recipe

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Crab Imperial Ingredients:

You can get the full list of ingredients with measurements in the recipe card below.

• Mayonnaise – The mayonnaise is the base of the imperial sauce that coats the crab. Any mayo works, but Japanese mayo would add a nice sweetness to mimic the sweetness in the crab.
• Egg – The egg acts as a binder so the crab stays together.
• Worcestershire sauce – This adds a depth of flavor and cuts through the mayo.
• Seasoning – Old Bay seasoning is used in traditional Maryland-style seafood dishes. It adds a spicy and very familiar seasoning. You also want to use salt to bring out all of the flavors and dried parsley to add an Earthy balance. Fresh parsley adds too much moisture and, depending on who you ask, isn’t traditionally used but dried is.
• Lemon – The acid from fresh lemon juice brings out a brightness in the dressing.
• Crab meat – Traditionally, jumbo lump crab is used to make crab imperial. But, crab special works as well and is a third of the price of jumbo lump crab meat.

How To Make Crab Imperial:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Put the mayonnaise, egg, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoning into a large bowl.

I use a metal bowl because it keeps the crab cooler, which reduces the chance of it falling apart.

Squeeze in the lemon.

I say this every time we talk about citrus, but here’s Pete’s hack: Microwave the lemon on high for 15 seconds. Take it out of the microwave and roll it, very hard, on the kitchen counter. This will break up the pulp and get more lemon juice than if you tried to squeeze a cold lemon.

Stir until everything is combined.

Add in the refrigerated crab meat.

Use a fork to slightly break apart the crab.

When you pour the crab from the container into the bowl, it’ll hold together in the shape of the container. So that’s why you want to break it apart.

However, crab is really delicate and crab special is already pretty flaky, so you want to be careful when you’re separating it.

You want to take it out of the container shape, but you don’t actually wanna pull apart any of the crab.

Gently folk the crab in until it is completely coated in the mayonnaise dressing.

You want to do this gently because, again, you don’t wanna break up the crab. Plus, overmixing can result in mushy crab.

Put the bowl in the fridge for 20 minutes to chill and allow the flavors to come together.

After 20 minutes, take the bowl out of the fridge.

Separate the crab mixture into quarters and add each quarter into its own ramekin or small baking dish.

Any oven-safe small bowl works, but we love using cuter ones for a fancier-feeling presentation. I use 8 oz. Le Creuset cocottes.

Spread it just a little bit so it’s flat on top.

Sprinkle some Old Bay seasoning on top for color.

Some recipes will add breadcrumbs on top along with the seasoning to add texture. You can do that if you want.

I don’t because I think any additional ingredients take away from the crab. The beauty of this recipe really is that every bite tastes like crab without any fillers. And I think, if you spent that much money on crab meat, it should be the only thing you taste.

But, a thin layer of breadcrumbs on top would also be delicious.

Bake for 25 minutes until the crab is cooked through and the mayonnaise-based dressing is not bubbly.

Turn the oven to broil and broil for two minutes to add a nice golden brown crust on top.

Quick note: Crab should be cooked to 140 F.

Let it sit for a minute before serving.

We serve it with asparagus almondine and risotto, but you can add whatever sides you want. You could also serve it as a hot crab dip with saltine crackers too.

Crab imperial: Frequently Asked Questions