Crabby Deviled Eggs
In my house, if there are hard-cooked eggs on the counter, there are soon to be deviled eggs.
Although I really didn't know what to call this version. Crab-Laced Deviled Eggs? Sounds wrong. I sort of like the current title--as if the eggs were fussy, perhaps from being deviled. Maybe Crabby Bedeviled Eggs? I don't know. If you can think up a better recipe title, let me know. All I know is that we had these last week when some friends were over and those little deviled egg halves were scarfed down in no time.
Anyway, without further ado (unless you can come up with a better name). . . .
First, hard-cook six, large eggs, out of the fridge for 10 minutes or so. Here's Bruce's method: Put the eggs in a large saucepan and cover them with cool tap water until it stands about an inch over them. Set the pan over high heat and bring it to a boil. The minute is begins to boil, the surface to roil (not just a simmer), set the clock and give it 2 minutes. Then cover the saucepan and take it off the heat for exactly 7 minutes. Carefully drain the eggs in a colander set in the sink, then run cool water over them until there's not a speck of warmth in them when you hold them in your hands. You know, like a New Englander. (Kidding, kidding!) If you'd like, chill the eggs even further in the fridge for a few hours.
Peel the eggs and cut them in half lengthwise. Use a little spoon to scoop out the centers and let these fall in a bowl, setting the halved whites aside.
Mix all of this in that bowl with the yolks: 4 ounces pasteurized lump crab meat, picked over for shell and cartilage; 1 medium scallion, minced; 2 tablespoons mayonnaise; 2 tablespoons minced celery; 2 teaspoons jarred prepared white horseradish; 2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon leaves; 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard; and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne. If you want even more heat, add a few dashes of Tabasco or another hot red pepper sauce.
Mash this up with the back of a fork. I don't like it beaten with a mixer, the way some of my relatives in the South do. Too unctuous, too creamy. I like it a little chunky. Of course, I left the South to live in the liberal north, so to each his own.
Mound this mixture into the halved whites. I used a little melon baller to get it up--and then added more to several. Deviled eggs aren't supposed to be froo-froo, right? They're supposed to look homemade.
Place them on a plate or platter, then cover with plastic wrap and set in the fridge for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. But one warning: they taste best when they've been left out on the counter for 15 minutes or so, just so they're not too chilled from the fridge.
appetizers, crab, deviled eggs, deviled eggs with crab, eggs, hard-cooked eggs
Reader Comments (15)
This looks SO delicious - I can't wait to try it out! I love deviled eggs and being from Maryland, I also love crab... sounds like an unbeatable combo! :)
Nice one! We have a lot of eggs at the moment, so this is a great recipe to have, thank you! One tip - a friend once told me that if you steam eggs rather than boiling them, the shells slip off very cleanly.
Sara: Truly, IMHO, it's the horseradish that's the key. Really balances and brings forward that crabby taste.
Celia: You are right. Totally. Steaming is the preferred method. But I want to confess to being lazy. I actually made these. Yep, Bruce doesn't do ALL the cooking around here. And I boiled them because I didn't want to set up the steamer.
Did you know that scrambled eggs with a salad and a glass of red wine is my all-time, favorite, go-to, day-off, I'm-kicking-back lunch? Maybe I should blog about how to make perfect scrambled eggs.
M.
Mark, I would LOVE you to blog about how to make perfect scrambled eggs. We always end up with something like an unfilled omelette...
I would love a good scrambled egg recipe. I don't think nuking them for 45 seconds will be part of your recipe.
How does one steam eggs? For how long? I made egg salad and cussed the entire time I was taking the shells off. Never knew you could steam eggs and would love to give it a try.
Dawn: Set up a vegetable steamer, put about an inch of water in the pan, put the large eggs in the steamer basket, bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover, and simmer/steam for 12 minutes for creamier yolks, 15 for harder ones.
If you're ever steaming potatoes for potato salad, just put the eggs on top!
But the key to peeling is the cold water. They need to chill down instantly and quickly--and all the way down.
Hope this helps.
Celia: Will do.
M.
Could we call them Sidewalkers or is that too cutesy?
i'm in favor of the scrambled egg blog, too. it would solve a debate in our family between the get-the-pan-really-hot-and-cook-them-fast approach and slow cooked soft scrambled eggs with cream. there must be a middle ground, no?
What is pasteurized crab meat? Can you not buy fresh crab there. I feel very lucky I van buy fresh cooked crab at my fish monger.
Merrie: Pasteurized crab meat is sold in tins--in the refrigerator section, usually at the fish counter in nicer stores, often in 1-pound bits. It's sold by various grades: lump, jumbo lump, etc. As you probably know, those designations mean little here in the U. S., since there's no government enforcement. (Like "jumbo shrimp.") Still, they're some sort of a guide, if mostly window-dressing. For those of us not lucky enough to live in Maryland, Delaware, or Texas, those of us who don't have easy access to fresh crab meat at markets, pasteurized crab meat is probably the best choice--unless you want to buy live crabs, steam them, and pick the meat yourself. It's certainly better than that fake crab, the dyed pollock or whatever, masquerading as the yummy crustacean.
M.
How about calling them "Deviled Crabbies"?
Casey and Lizabeth: HA! I love those names. How about "Hen-pecked Crab Eggs"?
M.
Thanks Mark for the steaming instructions. I will use them this weekend and let you know how I make out.
Dawn
Steaming and getting the eggs into ice cold water stopped the cussing under my breath while peeling the eggs as usually happens. Thanks Mark!! My husband thanks you, too. Now my 2 year old can help me make egg salad or deviled eggs-we're trying the crabby eggs today-because I have a clean mouth when working with hard boiled eggs. The crabby eggs are delicious. I hope that there is one for my husband when he gets home from work. My 2 year old has eaten 2 and is asking for more. He loves when we try recipes from Chef Mark and Bruce-as you are known in our house. Thanks for the great ideas. we're looking forward to making the roasted pears after his nap for desert.
Thanks, Dawn. If you--or anyone else--ever thinks to take a pic of what you make and send it to me, I'd be happy to post it on the site. I'm sure everyone would love to see it!
M.