Crab Quiche

YUM. What's not to love about crabby, eggy goodness in a PIE CRUST? Ok, the pie crust is optional. This will work just fine in a pie dish without the crust, as long as you are generous with the non-stick spray. I've also used this recipe to make egg "muffins." It's been a while since I did that, but I think it made about 16 muffins. Either way, it's good stuff. :)

The Recipe:
1 cup crab (imitation crab works fine, too)
1 ¼ cup sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
½ small white onion, chopped (or ½ cup frozen, pre-chopped onion)
4 eggs
1 cup milk
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp hot sauce - optional
½ cup Parmesan cheese
1 prepared pie crust, NOT prebaked (or make your own) - optional

Preheat the oven to 450. If you’re not using a piecrust, spray a baking dish liberally with non-stick spray. (Seriously. None of that nanosecond spraying – this will need some help coming out of the pan.)

Combine the crab, Cheddar cheese and onion in the bottom of the pie crust. Mix the eggs, milk, pepper and hot sauce in a bowl, and pour it over the mixture in the pie crust. Top with Parmesan cheese.

For best results, bake at 450 for 10 minutes; then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 30 more minutes.
OR: instead of preheating to 450, just preheat oven to 350 and bake 40-50 minutes. This is good, but not quite AS good. I’m just saying.

You’ll know it’s done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

This is also one of my favorite "on-the-go" lunches, because you can eat it cold or at room temperature. Either way it tastes FANTASTIC.

Crab Dip Casserole

In our family, we have a fantastic crab dip recipe. I was trying to figure out a way to convert it into a casserole, and came up with this variation. YUM.

The Recipe
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups cheddar cheese
2 cups mayonnaise
4 cups crab (or imitation crab), shredded (equal to one whole 16-oz package of imitation crab, flake style)
1 package frozen cauliflower
1 package frozen beans, green or white (I used the Brittany Blend from Trader Joe's: a mix of green beans, wax beans and baby carrots, and it was FANTASTIC - AND pretty!)
1/4 cup bread crumbs (optional)
2 Tbs Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.
Mix all ingredients except bread crumbs and Parmesan in a large baking dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until you can hear it sizzling when you open the oven.
*You might find that it needs salt and pepper to taste. I didn't add it to the recipe, because it's such an individual preference.

Fresh from the oven:


Served up in a bowl:

It takes about 10 minutes to assemble, and this should feed 6-8 people.
DEFINITELY serve salad with this. It's really rich, and you'll need something to cut the richness.