A popular way to prepare crab in Benin, crabe Beninoise is light and fluffy. If you are cooking fresh crab, you will need about 8 pounds of live crabs. Once you have removed the meat from the shells, save at least six shells to use as baking containers. Serve hot with rice and sliced tomatoes.
Crabe Beninoise
A popular way to prepare crab in Benin, crabe Beninoise is light and fluffy. If you are cooking fresh crab, you will need about 8 pounds of live crabs. Once you have removed the meat from the shells, save at least six shells to use as baking containers. Serve hot with rice and sliced tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 2 pounds cooked fresh crab meat
- 1 cup chopped scallions including green tops (5 whole)
- 1 cup chopped ripe tomatoes (1 large)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 stalk celery minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced habanero (Scotch bonnet) or 1 tablespoon minced jalapeño peppers
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ½ cup dry breadcrumbs divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Beat eggs lightly in a medium bowl. Stir in crab meat, scallions, tomatoes, parsley, celery, garlic, chiles, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup breadcrumbs. Spoon into six well-washed crab shells or six 1 1/3-cup ramekins. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup breadcrumbs evenly over the tops.
- Place the crab shells or ramekins on a baking sheet and bake until the tops are golden brown and the custard has set, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.
Notes
Six 1 1/3-cup ramekins
