Crab pie has a nice history, one that resonates with those who enjoy looking at early America. Martha Washington, a woman of ordinary tastes, not given to lavish entertaining, developed some solid, tasty, easy-to-prepare recipes for her time in the White. Among them was crab pie.
Blue crab was readily available near the Washington’s Virginia home and it was a favorite of hers. The recipe below is not hers, but instead comes in a round-about way from Savannah, Georgia, many years later and was made for me by my significant other.
It is a sparkling meal by itself, tasty, full-bodied and fully satisfying.
Here’s what you need and how to put it together:
- A pie shell (home-made or commercial)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 tbsp white flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 1/3 cup chopped bell pepper
- 6 ounces grated Swiss cheese (cheddar works, as well)
- 1 ½ cups crab meat
Bake the pie shell until it is slightly brown and put it aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the mayo, milk, flour and salt. Then add the onion, pepper, cheese and crab meet. Fill the pie shell and slip it into the oven.
Bake it 40-50 minutes (depending on your oven) at 350 degrees, until the top is nicely brown. I enjoy it with hush puppies and cole slaw, but the sides are up to you.
Writer’s tip: Want this to be a little healthier? Use spinach and cream cheese (instead of Swiss or Cheddar).
About the Writer:
Dan Smith is an award-winning Roanoke-based writer/author/photographer and a member of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame (Class of 2010). His blog, fromtheeditr.com, is widely read and he has authored seven books, including the novel CLOG! He is founding editor of a Roanoke-based business magazine and a former Virginia Small Business Journalist of the Year (2005).
