Deviled Crab – It’s Devilishly Delicious

If you are a fan of seafood, as I am, this recipe for deviled crab promises a culinary adventure you won’t want to miss.

Please join me as I share a how-to-video, step-by-step directions, and my secrets for preparing the perfect deviled crab.

🦀 Special thanks to Kara and Adam Godfrey, who caught and cleaned these blue crabs so I could have the shells for this recipe.

What is deviled crab:

Deviled crab is a delicious Southern seafood dish of crab meat combined with seasonings, spices, and other ingredients to create a flavorful filling. The filling is then stuffed into crab shells or ramekins and baked until golden brown and crispy.

It originated in Ybor City, in the Tampa Bay area on Florida’s west coast, where the beautifully colored blue crabs are plentiful. Now, it’s a common menu item at most seafood restaurants up and down Florida’s Gulf Coast and up the Atlantic coast to Maryland and Virginia.

Why you will love this recipe:

1. This recipe prioritizes the natural sweetness and delicate taste of the crab meat and doesn’t include unnecessary fillers.
2. Serving options are provided if you cannot find crab shells to hold the stuffing.
3. Each step is clearly explained, from ingredient preparation to baking and serving. Additionally, the post includes valuable tips and insights, such as ingredient substitutions and storage recommendations.

Ingredient notes and substitutions:

Don’t let the number of ingredients scare you. Most are common pantry ingredients and you just combine everything in a single bowl.

• Lump blue crab meat – is the star of this show, and I always use fresh. Crabmeat is typically sold cleaned, cooked, and pasteurized. Grades include jumbo lump, lump, backfin, and claw meat. Jumbo lump is the most expensive. I like using lump in this recipe, although any of these grades work.
• Butter – unsalted butter is used to saute the vegetables. 
• Scallions – also called green or spring onions, provide a mild onion flavor. 
• Celery – provides just a bit of crunch and an herby flavor. 
• Green bell pepper – is another veggie that provides excellent flavor and color. 
• Mayonnaise – is the glue that holds everything together, along with the egg. 
• Egg – and mayonnaise bring everything together and provide a bit of structure when cooked. 
• Sour cream – adds a nice creamy tang. 
• Round buttery crackers – the most common brand is Ritz. 
• Dry mustard – adds a nice tangy flavor. If you don’t have dry mustard, you can substitute a half tablespoon of Dijon mustard. 
• Worcestershire sauce – a common condiment containing anchovies- gives this dish the “deviled” flavor. 
• Old Bay Seasoning – a seasoning blend specially designed to enhance the flavor of seafood.
• Lemon pepper – is lemon zest combined with regular ground black pepper. It is typically used to season seafood and adds a bit of citrus flavor. 
• Creole seasoning – is a blend of dried peppers, herbs, and spices that adds a lovely flavor to this dish. 

Specific measurements are listed in the complete recipe below.

How to prepare fresh crab shells for stuffing:

1. If you’ve just cooked crabs, carefully remove the cooked meat from the shells, leaving the top shells intact.
2. If you’re using shells that are not freshly cooked, you’ll need to prepare them by briefly boiling them to loosen any remaining meat. Bring a pot of water to a boil and immerse the shells for a few minutes until the meat inside softens. Remove them from the heat and let them cool.
3. Using a small, stiff-bristle brush or a toothbrush, gently scrub the interior of the shells to remove any remaining meat or debris.
4. Fill a basin or sink with warm water and add a small amount of mild dish soap. Submerge the shells in soapy water, and use a sponge or cloth to clean the exterior surfaces of the shells, removing any dirt or grime. You can also use a toothbrush for stubborn spots. Rinse the shells thoroughly with clean water to remove all soap residue.
5. To ensure the shells are thoroughly sanitized, briefly dip them in boiling water for another few seconds. Pat the cleaned shells dry using paper towels and ensure they are completely dry before filling them with the deviled crab stuffing.

What to serve with this recipe:

Deviled crab can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or main dish. It is also commonly found on fried seafood platters in restaurants along the Gulf Coast.

When I serve it as an appetizer, I usually serve it with other seafood-themed appetizers such as shrimp toast, blackened shrimp, buffalo shrimp, or my bacon-wrapped shrimp.

As a side dish on a seafood platter, it is commonly paired with fried fish, including fried grouper and pan-fried shrimp, fried oysters, fried crab claws, hush puppies, and cheese grits.

As a main dish, I like to keep things simple and serve it with sides such as Southern Potato Salad, Purple Hull or Field Peas, Smoked Baked Beans, Cheese Grits Casserole, Fried Cabbage, Hasselback Potatoes, Squash Casserole, or Southern Sweet and Sour Green Beans.

Another option is to pair it with a slice of Southern Tomato Pie or Southern Cucumber and Tomato Salad. 

Leftovers, storage, and reheating:

If you have them, leftovers should be stored covered in the refrigerator, and they will keep for two to three days. Seal the container tightly to prevent air from getting in, which can cause the crab to dry out or absorb odors from the refrigerator.

If you want to store leftovers for an extended period, they should be frozen. Wrap individual portions tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place the wrapped portions in an airtight freezer-safe container or freezer bag. Deviled crab can be frozen for up to 2-3 months.

For the best results, reheat your leftovers in a 350° F oven. Place the leftovers in an oven-safe dish. You can reheat them in the same containers if they were initially baked in individual ramekins or shells. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 15 minutes or until heated through.

If the leftovers are frozen, allow them to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.

Make it ahead:

Besides the taste, one of the best things about this recipe is that it can be made up to 24 hours ahead and stored in the refrigerator before baking. It can also be made ahead and frozen for up to two to three months before baking.

If you plan to make this recipe ahead and freeze it, I recommend putting it in ramekins instead of stuffing it in real crab shells. They are fragile and may crack in the freezer.

Follow the directions to make this recipe ahead, but do not bake the deviled crab. Bake as directed when you are ready to serve. If frozen, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking.

What variety of crab is the best:

I live on the Gulf Coast, and blue crabs are plentiful here and up and down the East Coast. So, blue crabs are what I have always used and recommend. I don’t have any experience making this recipe with other varieties of crab.

However, depending on where you live and what types of crab meat you can get, Dungeness, Snow, King, or Rock Crab meat should also work.

But remember that the flavors and textures may vary, so the final dish may have a slightly different taste and texture if you use a different variety.

Recipe variations:

Deviled crab is highly versatile, and while traditionally spooned into blue crab shells or ramekins for serving, the mixture can also be used as a base for:

• Crab stuffed shrimp – a delicious combination of fresh gulf shrimp, butterflied and stuffed with deviled crab.
• Deviled crab cakes or patties – use practically the same recipe, except saltines are substituted for the Ritz crackers, and the mixture is formed into patties and fried. For the best results, let the mixture chill for an hour or so before forming them into patties, then chill for another hour after forming them and before cooking.
• Croquettes or rolls – authentic recipes add tomato sauce to the basic mixture, which is then wrapped in bread dough and fried.
• Deviled crab balls (Crab arancini) – include risotto, and the balls are coated in breadcrumbs before frying.
• Crab deviled eggs – instead of the traditional egg yolk filling, the hard-boiled egg white is stuffed with deviled crab.
• Crab toast – similar to avocado toast, except instead of avocado, deviled crab is spread over warm toast.
• Crab melts – Crostini is topped with deviled crab, sliced tomato, and cheese and cooked under the broiler until the cheese is melted.
• Stuffing and toppings for steak, fish, or mushrooms – the crab mixture is made as directed and then either piled on top of steak or fish fillets or sandwiched between the fillets. This filling can also be used as a stuffing for mushrooms.
• Deviled crab casserole – the mixture is placed in a baking dish, topped with the cracker mixture, and baked until done.

Recipe FAQs

Expert Tips:

• Don’t skip the step of “picking” through your crab meat. It’s incredibly hard to clean a crab without having small pieces of shell or cartilage getting mixed in with the meat. Use your fingers to gently sift through it, feeling for any hard particles, and use care to avoid breaking up the lumps.
• Use fresh, high-quality crab meat for the best flavor and texture. Lump meat is preferred for its large, sweet chunks.
• If using crab shells, clean them thoroughly to remove any remaining meat, debris, or odors. Follow the cleaning steps mentioned earlier in this blog post.
• I usually use green bell pepper, but you can also use yellow or red.
• I prefer my deviled crab without any sauce, but some folks, including my husband, like it with cocktail sauce. Remoulade and tartar sauce are also condiments that go well with seafood.
• Lump meat is expensive, but you can substitute claw meat to keep down the cost of this dish. It will not taste as rich, but it will still be delicious. I have never tried canned or imitation crab meat in this recipe and I can’t recommend using it.
• If you don’t have any sour cream, you can make your own. Combine one-quarter of a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice with three tablespoons of heavy cream. Let this mixture sit for at least 20 minutes to thicken. 

More blue crab recipes:

If you still need more menu inspiration, here is link to all of my seafood recipes.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐⭐ If you make this dish, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!

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