Deviled Crab Eggs
We adore leftover Easter eggs, simply for one reason: deviled crab eggs. By cutting the hard cooked (A.K.A. hard boiled) eggs horizontally instead of vertically, you’ll have a deeper well for stuffing with our favorite deviled crab salad.
Before we get to the deviled crab part of the recipe, we need to set some ground rules for cooking the eggs. Raise your right hand and repeat:
I [insert name], do solemnly swear, I will never boil my eggs for 20 minutes and allow them to sit in hot water for hours, ever again.
OK, now that you’re part of the egg club, I’ll let you in on the secrets. By cooking the eggs properly, you’ll produce a tender egg that will never have that mysterious green ring around the yolk, will never smell like sulfur, and will very rarely crack and leak. It’s true. And, although fresh eggs are best for scrambled and fried eggs, eggs that are a few days old will peel much easier than any egg plucked from right under its mother.
Hard Cooked Eggs
Ingredients:
6 large eggs (any variety)
water
Directions:
Place eggs in a large saucepan. Fill with cool tap water, at least one inch above the eggs. Heat on medium-high until the water comes to a boil. Remove from heat and place a tight fitting lid on the pan. Allow to sit for 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, gently remove the eggs and place in an ice water bath for 15 minutes. Store in the refrigerator, preferably in their original carton (marked as hard cooked) for up to three days.
To peel, gently tap all sides of the egg on a hard surface to crack the shell, and beginning with the air pocket end (the large end), peel the shell away.
Deviled Crab Filled Eggs
Ingredients:
6 hard cooked eggs
1 tablespoons Sour cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon capers, chopped
Zest of one lemon
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 cup fennel bulb, julienned
1/4 cup celery, julienned
1 cup lump crab meat, (if raw, cooked and cooled)
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish:
fresh flat leaf parsley
fresh thyme
sesame seeds
Directions:
Slice all hard-boiled eggs in half, across the middle as shown above. Remove yolks and set aside in a medium bowl. Slice a very small piece off the bottom of each egg white so they stand up straight, set aside.
Add the sour cream, mustard, garlic, thyme, capers, lemon zest and celery salt to the egg yolks. Add the fennel and celery; gently mix until coated with the sour cream mixture. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.
Add the crab and gently fold into the sour cream mixture until incorporated, being careful not to shred the crab meat.
Using a spoon or melon baller, fill the cavity of the white portions of the eggs with two heaping tablespoons of the crab mixture. Garnish with thyme, parsley, capers and sesame seeds.
Sounds delicious, but what’s so devilish about this recipe?
The term “deviled” usually refers to anything spicy — mustard, hot sauce, red peppers, cayenne. In this case, it’s Dijon mustard.
Can I add vinegar to the cooking water to prevent the shell from cracking?
Yes, but the vinegar doesn’t really prevent the cracking. As with poached eggs, the vinegar helps to coagulate the egg whites so they don’t roam far from their point of origin. As long as you bring the water up to a boil slowly and gently remove the pan from the heat once it comes to a boil, the eggs should crackle-free.
I’m a traditionalist. Can I skip the crab and just do a traditional deviled egg?
You bet! In fact, you can fill the eggs with absolutely anything. Try chicken salad, lobster salad, tuna tar tar, or artichoke and spinach dip, guacamole or saffron mayonnaise.
The dye from my eggs penetrated the whites. What should I do?
As long as it’s a food safe dye, eat the eggs as planned. If you need beautiful bright white eggs for presentation, you’ll have to cook additional eggs and skip the dye.
What are some of your favorite deviled egg fillings? Share your recipes below :-)
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>so pretty.. they'd be great as nibblies to serve at a party
>found this from tastespotting – this looks so yummy, and it is such a great idea! i can't wait to try it sometime! my blog is homeandawaycooking.blogspot.com if you ever want to check it out
>Why has it never occurred to me to slice deviled eggs in this way? You are a genius! Great photo :D
>I remembered this recipe! I made it back then when you just posted it and it is really delicious. I want to make this again.
>Beautiful picture!