This Crab Imperial is a delicious, easy seafood dish and one of my all-time favorite crab meat recipes. You’ll want to make it again and again for special occassions and more.
Crab Imperial is one of the best easy lump crab meat recipes. Jumbo lump crab in a simple seafood recipe with a crunchy topping and simple imperial sauce.
Crab Imperial
Just thinking about this easy lump crab recipe makes my mouth water. Made with jumbo lump blue crab meat, it’s essentially an easier, less hands-on version of crab cakes.
I think this is one of the easiest casserole recipes that use crab. Actually, it might be the ONLY casserole I make using crab. But it’s oh so good.
And an easy recipe. This delicious crab imperial recipe is made in just a few steps, with no complicated ingredients or techniques required.
Just combine the ingredients, add to the casserole dish, top with your favorite crunchies, place in a baking dish and cook!
Seasoning
The most common flavor accompaniments to the crab mixture are ground red pepper, Old Bay Seasoning and dry mustard.
If you want to get crazy, add an imperial sauce, my simple beurre blanc sauce. A simple lemon and butter topping that pairs well with most foods.
Bread Crumb Options
As the same for crab cakes, you can use a variety of bread crumbs from saltines, traditional Italian or in this batch, I used crumbled leftover Hot Dog Bun Croutons.
Sourdough, whole wheat and even panko breadcrumbs work perfectly.
Ingredients
The ingredients list fairly simple with crab meat being the most important.
- jumbo lump blue crab meat
- shallots
- Dijon mustard
- flat parsley (italian parsley)
- lemon juice
- garlic
- mayo
- bread crumbs
- salt
How to Make Crab Imperial
This entire seafood dish takes just under 30 minutes to make and can be assembled ahead of time.
- Combine jumbo lump blue crab meat, shallots, Dijon mustard, parsley, lemon juice, grated garlic, mayonnaise, bread crumbs and fine sea salt in a medium mixing bowl. Toss to combine and do not over mix. You don’t want those glorious bits of crab meat to break apart.
- Transfer mixture to casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs.
- Bake until hot and browned. This will depend on how shallow your dish is, the top should be lightly browned.
- Serve with additional lemon wedges and enjoy.
Crab Imperial can be served as the main entree, which is my preferred way to serve this lazy man’s seafood dish, but is also frequently used to top steak or stuff other proteins.
Serve it over baked chicken for Chicken Chesapeake or even use it to stuff shrimp, scallops and other fish.
Crab Cakes vs. Crab Imperial
So what is the difference between Crab Imperial and crab cakes? As I mentioned above, the two are very similar.
Crab Imperial is typically a little wetter and has more filler. Crab cakes (at least good ones) have less filler and are more dry, in order to hold them together.
They are both good and they both have their place on the menu. Here is a crab cake for reference (and my award winning crab cake recipe).
Imperial is better for serving large groups because your crab will go further and it isn’t as delicate as crab cakes.
You can also serve smaller portions alongside another protein or fish. Check out my Filet Mignon featuring a crab imperial topping!
Good Crab Meat
Not everyone can everyone can grab fresh crab from the Eastern shore of Maryland like I can, but you can find good crab at your store. I prefer to use unpasteurized crab, but if that is all you can get your hands on, go for it!
Do I have to use jump lump crab meat? You don’t, you can use a variety of crab meat that meets your budget. Feel free to use a mixture as well. Here is a guide to buying blue crab meat.
Next is knowing your type of crab meat. Here is a brief crab meat tutorial.
- Claw– dark meat that comes from the claw, a little more stringy than other varieties.
- Special– smaller pieces, comes from small little crevices or the “special” sections of the crab, good for flavoring and dips.
- Backfin– some larger lumps coming from, you guessed it, the back of the shell, whiter meat, does well in crab cakes, feathery texture.
- Jumbo lump– large, lumps of meat, the beauty is the large pieces used for crab meat cocktails or delicious to pop in your mouth plain, very tasty and moist.
Can I use imitation crab meat? I would advise against using imitation crab meat for this recipe. Crab is the main ingredient and will flavor the whole dish.
Imitation crab meat is just a white fish compressed into crab-like shapes and then tinted a weird orange color.
Can I use king crab or snow crab? What makes a good imperial is the blue crab. I supposed you can use one of the other two, but I would advise against it.
What to Serve With
I like my imperial best with just a spritz of fresh lemon juice, but others like tartar sauce or even a zesty cocktail sauce. Plain melted butter or clarified butter also work.
Clarified butter is nothing but butter with the milk solids removed. Make sure to choose a high quality butter when making this liquid gold sauce.
More easy crab recipes:
Tools:
Mixing Bowls– make sure to check out my article on Using the Right Mixing Bowl, you’d be surprised how many people aren’t!
Measuring Utensils– I generally eyeball it, but you can measure things out, if you’d like!
Small Casserole Dish– I recommend using a shallow dish so it heats the whole way through without the top getting dry.
Special Lifestyles
Is crab imperial keto friendly? This is not a keto friendly recipe because it contains bread crumbs. You can use one of the keto approved substitutes like pork rinds, as a binder.
Is crab imperial gluten free? If you use a gluten free alternative to bread crumbs, then yes, it is gluten free.
Is crab imperial dairy free? This recipe is dairy free. The recipe, minus beurre blanc sauce, is dairy free. You don’t have to use any sauce at all, or you can serve with fresh lemon wedges cocktail sauce, tartar sauce or chipotle aioli.
Storage & Freezing
Crab imerial is best eaten fresh out of the oven. You can make it all ahead of time and then add bread crumbs right before baking to save time.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave and low heat oven for 10 minutes.
Can I freeze crab imperial? I generally don’t recommend freezing any recipe that contains mayonnaise.
You also need to be mindful to not refreeze seafood that has previously been frozen. Many brands of pasteurized, canned crab meat, has been previously frozen.
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Crab Imperial Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds jumbo lump blue crab meat
- 2 tablespoons shallots , minced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon flat parsley , minced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove , grated
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons bread crumbs , divided
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup beurre blanc sauce , optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a small casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Combine jumbo lump blue crab meat, shallots, Dijon mustard, parsley, lemon juice, grated garlic, mayonnaise, bread crumbs and fine sea salt in a medium mixing bowl. Toss to combine and do not over mix. You don’t want those glorious bits of crab meat to break apart.
- Transfer mixture to casserole dish. Top with 2 tablespoons bread crumbs.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until hot. This will depend on how shallow your dish is, the top should be lightly browned.
- Serve with additional lemon wedges and enjoy.
- If you liked this dish, please come back and let us know how it was in the ratings and comments!
Love this recipe. Have made it many times. It’s a regular meal in our house and leftovers make great lunches!
Oh, fantastic! I love hearing that!
When do you use the beurre blanc?
Just spoon it over top when serving if you want it- it’s just an option.
It was so easy and delicious! I too added Old Bay seasoning because crabmeat! It was easy to slightly modify to taste. Thanks for a great recipe for a picky eater and cooking-impaired!
Glad you loved it and thanks for coming back to let us know!
This was quick, easy and very good. A couple of things: I added old bay seasoning for some added flavor. I didn’t have shallots so I added chopped green onions. I also buttered the bread crumbs before topping the casserole. A nice, light dinner.
Sounds amazing, thanks for coming back to let us know!
This is making me crave! Yum!
Filling and quick recipe is always a winner
Ok, so I just had steamed crabs yesterday and just picked them all this morning. Threw it all in a bowl and. Its a combination of all the crab meats together. Can I make this recipe with my crab meat mixture? If not, I Need recipes for picked crab meat. I probably have over a pound of crab meat left over.
Thanks a million
You sure can! And here are a few more recipes for crab: https://www.savoryexperiments.com/best-crab-recipes/ .
I have been craving crab and this recipe did the trick! It’s so good. I never thought of it as a main course, but it was perfect! Thanks!
What do I do with the buerre Blanc sauce?
You can just put it on top of the Crab Imperial. It is optional.
Don’t want to eat crab any other way! So delicious!
Its really a big help for me to serve good food for my family
I’m glad we could help!