Memorial Day Weekend. Seems the perfect time to make a nice New Orleans-inspired happy hour spread. Happy hour is one of my favorite memories in New Orleans. There was nothing better than taking in the spirit of the city over half priced appetizers and cocktails! While venturing out in the French Quarter one day, we came across the Napoleon House at the corner of Chartres and St. Louis. I had one of their specialty drinks – the Pimm’s Cup – and I was hooked. Light, refreshing, and served in a “go cup” so I could easily transport it to my next destination. While my usual “next destination” was an oyster bar for some chargrilled oysters (amazing!), I had to settle on making another seafood specialty for my Memorial Day celebration due to lack of oysters in this area: Deviled Crab.
I chose to recreate Cochon Restaurant’s Deviled Crab with Butter Crackers recipe, featured in the Times-Picayune (New Orleans’ most popular newspaper).
Deviled Crab
Note: I halved this recipe
1 pound crab claw meat
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ounce brandy
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup shrimp stock (or chicken stock)
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 bunch green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon seedless chili flakes (available at Asian markets)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
Dash Louisiana-style hot sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
To serve
1/4 cup grated Grana Padano (or parmesan) cheese
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
Pick the crab meat clean of any shell fragments. I used Philips brand crab claw meat, and did not find any shells in my container. Melt butter in skillet, and sauté onion and celery until translucent. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant and soft. This only takes about 5-6 minutes. Next, add the brandy and flambé. I did not have any luck with actually flambeing at this point. I was fully prepared for a burst of flames and had my fire extinguisher at the ready, but to my disappointment I didn’t need to use it. Perhaps this is because I halved the recipe and there wasn’t enough alcohol content in the small amount of brandy I used. Add wine and reduce the liquid by half. Add the shrimp stock and reduce the liquid by half again.
Stir in the bread crumbs, mixing until they are all wet and well combined. They should have the consistency of thick oatmeal. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet to cool. Mix the remaining ingredients with the cooled breadcrumbs, then gently fold in the reserved crab. Adjust the seasoning and heat with some additional cayenne and white pepper or a splash of hot sauce.
To serve: Place an even layer of the deviled crab in an oven-safe serving container. It can be any size from individual cleaned crab shells up to a shallow, 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle the cheese and green onions over the crab. Heat in the oven at 425 degrees until bubbling on the sides and light brown on top. This should take only a few minutes but will depend on the container used. Serve with your favorite butter crackers.
This is a very simple recipe. The hardest part is driving to the liquor store to find Pimm’s #1 liqueur. Pimm’s is a popular gin-based British liqueur and clocks in at 25% alcohol by volume.
Fill a tall 12 oz glass with ice and add 1 1/4 oz. Pimm’s #1 and 3 oz lemonade.
Then top off with 7up/Sprite/some kind of lemon lime soda.
Garnish with cucumber.
Enjoy!
In the Kitchen with NOLA 