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CRAB IMPERIAL

Sharing Mountain Recipes
by Randi Lee Levin
Absolutely, positively heavenly! My mother and I would occasionally go to a restaurant by the bay in S. New Jersey that made the best Crab imperial I had ever tasted. Late one afternoon, I began to crave a taste for this incredible dish, so Mom and I went to go therefor dinner. As we arrived, all that remained of this restaurant were a lot of wooden planks and boards where the windows and doors once were. A large sign said it all; "Out of Business". Saddened by the loss of such a fine establishment, Mom wanted to go back home. With the scent of the sea surrounding me, my craving grew stronger, so I suggested that we stop at the fish market on the way back to the house. At the market, she bought a dinner to go, and I ordered some fresh crab meat, in addition to picking up a few necessary ingredients. I then made the following recipe based on the flavors in my memory. As I shivered with delight over my creation. Mom put her dinner in the refrigerator and we relished contently in a taste of heaven until it all disappeared.
Serves 3-4
 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter (no substitutes)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 2 egg yolks, well beaten
• 1 to 2 tablespoons finely diced green pepper
• 1 pimento, finely diced
• 1 to 2 drops Worcestershire sauce
• 1 drop Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley
• 1 pound cooked crabmeat, preferably fresh, but frozen or canned will work fine
 

Directions

1. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a shallow sauce pan or in a medium skillet. Add the flour, mix thoroughly into a paste. Add the milk and continue stirring until thickened.

2. Add all remaining ingredients to the pan and stir constantly until heated through. Do not allow this mixture to boil, rather heat it slowly, but thoroughly. Turn on the broiler in your oven.

3. Pour into 3-4 individual casserole dishes, place the dishes under the preheated broiler for 2-3 minutes or until the tops are slightly browned and serve.
 

Variation: Add 1 cut up cooked lobster tail to the other ingredients and cook as directed.