Half a pound of lump crab, six eggs and one 8-inch skillet. This Crab Stuffed Chesapeake Omelet folds sweet lump crab, dressed with mayo, lemon, Old Bay and a dash of hot sauce, into soft, buttery eggs.
Make it for someone you like. The recipe turns out two omelets, each wrapped around half the crab, and breakfast is on the table in about 20 minutes. Fan sliced avocado alongside and the plate looks like you went out for brunch.
🔪 Ingredients for Crab Stuffed Chesapeake Omelet
- Lump crab meat: picked over for shell. Lump keeps its big, sweet pieces, so feel through it with your fingers for bits of shell and cartilage.
- Mayo
- Lemon juice
- Old Bay seasoning: the Chesapeake signature.
- Hot sauce
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh chives: minced.
- Eggs
- Milk
- Unsalted butter
- Avocado: pitted and sliced, for serving.
Equipment
- 8-inch nonstick or well-seasoned skillet
- Rubber spatula
- Whisk
- Mixing bowls
📝 How to Make Crab Stuffed Chesapeake Omelet
- Stir the crab, mayo, lemon juice, Old Bay and hot sauce together gently, season with salt and pepper, fold in the chives and set aside.
- Whisk the eggs and milk until smooth and a little frothy, then season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the skillet over medium and melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add half the eggs and stir gently with a rubber spatula while you swirl the pan, 2 to 3 minutes, until the omelet starts to set.
- Spoon half the crab over one side, fold the omelet over and slide it onto a plate.
- Repeat with the remaining butter, eggs and crab. Serve with sliced avocado.
🔄 Substitutions
- Backfin or claw crab: smaller pieces in place of lump, and claw brings a stronger crab flavor.
- Cooked shrimp or salmon: chopped cooked shrimp or flaked cooked salmon in place of the crab.
- Greek yogurt: in place of the mayo for a tangier filling.
- Green onion tops: in place of the chives.
- No Old Bay: use a pinch of cayenne or another seafood seasoning blend.
💡 Meat Nerd Tips
- Fold the crab in with a light hand. Lump crab is expensive because of those big pieces, and overmixing shreds them.
- Take the chill off the crab. Let it sit out for 10 minutes while you whisk the eggs, so it warms through in the folded omelet instead of chilling the center.
- Keep the heat at medium. Eggs go rubbery and brown over high heat. You want them just set with a soft top when you fold.
- The crab is already cooked. Pasteurized lump crab from the refrigerated case only needs to warm through.
🍽️ What to Serve with Crab Stuffed Chesapeake Omelet
- Breakfast potatoes or hash browns
- Toasted English muffins or sourdough: with butter.
- Sliced tomatoes: with salt and pepper.
- Fresh fruit
- Breakfast sausage: patties of Blueberry Cheddar Breakfast Sausage on the side.
- Feeding a crowd: add a pan of Overnight Ham Breakfast Strata or Easy Breakfast Enchiladas with Salsa Verde.
🧊 Leftovers and Storage
- Best fresh: omelets are best right out of the pan.
- Make ahead: mix the crab filling up to 1 day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge.
- Fridge: leftover cooked omelet keeps, covered, up to 1 day.
- Reheat: warm gently in a covered skillet over low heat.
Crab Stuffed Chesapeake Omelet
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb lump crab meat picked for shells
- 1 tbsp mayo
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- dash of hot sauce
- salt and pepper
- 1 tsp fresh chives minced
- 6 eggs
- 2 tbsp milk
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 avocado pitted and sliced
Instructions
- Toss the crab meat with the mayo, lemon juice, Old Bay and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the fresh chives. Set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until smooth and slightly frothy. Season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat an 8″ skillet to medium heat. Melt 1 tbsp butter and swirl around the pan until foamy. Add half of the beaten eggs to the pan. Drag a rubber spatula through the eggs to stir and break them up while still swirling to cover the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes repeating this step until the omelet starts to hold. Add half of the crab filling and gently fold the omelet by sliding the pan off the heat and tilting one half towards you. Use some well honed spatula skills to gently fold the omelet as you roll it onto the plate.
- Repeat with the remaining eggs and filling. Serve with sliced avocado and bask in your breakfast making glory.
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Quick Summary
Lump crab mixed with mayo, lemon juice, Old Bay, hot sauce and chives, folded into two 3-egg omelets cooked in butter in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Served with sliced avocado. Serves 2, about 20 minutes start to finish.
❓ FAQs
Lump crab meat gives the biggest, sweetest pieces. Backfin works and costs less.
Yes. Mix it up to 1 day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Let it sit out about 10 minutes before you fold it in.
Three. The recipe uses six eggs for two omelets.
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OMG. Can we eat this now??