What makes our recipe a fan favorite year after year? It’s the combination of premium lump crab meat, a velvety blend of seasonings, and that irresistible kiss of smoke. Whether you’re hosting a summer cookout or a holiday gathering, this smoked crab imperial is guaranteed to be the first dish to disappear.
Ready to discover why this recipe has stood the test of time?
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With “imperial” in the name, you have to assume that some sort of royalty is involved…or at least some very important diplomat. Turns out, crab imperial sounds, looks, and tastes fancy, particularly when paired with a smoked beef tenderloin.
It’s a classic American dish and seafood recipes from the Eastern Shore of Maryland with just a few simple ingredients all whipped up in a bowl and baked. It’s an incredibly easy recipe to make!
Instead of a traditional baked crab imperial recipe, we’re cooking this crab imperial on a smoker with good kiln-dried wood chunks.
This adds an unexpected smoky flavor to the classic dish that’s just subtle enough not to overtake the dish but notable enough to have everyone raving about how it’s absolutely delicious and the best crab imperial recipe they’ve tasted!
WHAT IS CRAB IMPERIAL?
Crab Imperial is a hot crab dip made up of lump crabmeat folded into a rich and creamy imperial sauce, which, at its simplest, is a mixture of mayo, egg, and seasonings. It’s the ultimate creamy luxury as an amped-up version of a traditional deviled crab.
It’s a rich, indulgent, and incredibly easy crab recipe! This smoked version is the best crab imperial for special occasions and holiday dinners and pairs with any holiday feast!
Imperial Crab Recipe Ingredients
Once you have your crab meat, the rest of this great recipe is made up of pantry staples!
- Jumbo Lump Crab Meat– you can also use regular lump crab or backfin crab meat, but we recommend the meat from blue crabs for the best taste of the crab. Check the refrigerated meat and seafood area of your local market, or even Costco occasionally stocks tins of it. Make sure to pick your crabmeat over for small shells.
- Mayo – the base of the classic, creamy imperial sauce. You can use whatever variety of mayo you like.
- Worcestershire Sauce – adds a salty tang that helps offset the creaminess of the sauce.
- Melted Butter – provides a rich flavor depth. Always use unsalted butter.
- Fresh Lemon Juice – adds brightness to contrast the rich, buttery flavor of the sauce.
- Onion – be sure to mince the onion pretty small so the flavor doesn’t overtake the crab.
- Seasoning – We use Tony Chachere’s BOLD Seasoning to give the imperial a smoky, spicy kick. Zatarain’s Creole seasoning or Old Bay seafood seasoning will work as well.
- Mustard – you can use regular mustard or Dijon mustard for a spicier kick. For this recipe, we used ground mustard / dry mustard powder.
- Egg – binds everything together, so the crab imperial becomes more of a casserole texture.
- Parsley – or chives for garnish!
How to make Imperial Crab
- Place the crab in a large bowl and preheat your smoker to 300 degrees F.
- In a separate small bowl, mix together mayo, Worcestershire, butter, and lemon juice. Add the onion, seasoning, and ground mustard and toss to combine. Mix in the egg and parsley.
- Add the mayo mixture to the bowl with the crab and fold gently. The idea here is not to break apart the crab meat. Spoon the imperial mixture into a small cast-iron skillet, baking dish, or individual ramekins for smaller portions.
- When you’re ready to smoke, add the wood chunks to the embers and place the skillet over a grate at least 10″ from the flames. Make sure you wait for the smoke to burn clean before cooking.
- Cover and cook for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown on top and bubbling. Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes.
- Serve garnished with additional Creole seasoning or Old Bay seasoning and minced parsley or chives.
Crab Imperial Recipe Tips
- Buy quality crab. Trust us. It’s worth the investment. If you aren’t on the eastern shore, look in Costco for Phillips Crab Meat Brand, as they have great quality.
- Check for shells. Anytime you’re using crab meat, give it a quick once-over to check for shells. There are often one or two that have slipped through.
- If you’re using crab meat packed in a container or tin, make sure you drain any liquid before you start this recipe.
- Use a big bowl. You will be mixing the sauce and then adding the crab to that. You want enough space to mix!
- Mix gently. Crab meat is pretty delicate. As you’re folding the meat into the sauce, be gentle so you don’t break it apart.
- Don’t overcook. Once the crab imperial is golden and dubbing, take it out right away. Overcooked crab can be dry. Plus, since the crab comes already fully cooked, you’re essentially just warming it up.
What to serve with this Recipe for Crab Imperial
This crab imperial recipe makes a delicious and decadent appetizer served on baguette slices or with crackers.
It also really shines when paired with another protein as a main course! It’s amazing spooned over chicken, stuffed in omelets, or, our favorite, layered on top of a medium-rare smoked beef tenderloin to create an over-the-top, at-home, fine dining experience. We also use it as a filling for our crab-stuffed beef tenderloin if you want the ultimate dinner experience.
Serve that with fresh asparagus, green beans, and roasted potatoes on the side and dry white wine.
How to store Crab Imperial
Leftover smoked crab imperial recipe will last in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 1-2 days.
To reheat, warm in the oven at 350ºF for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
We don’t recommend freezing crab imperial because the creamy sauce will separate and become watery when thawed.
More seafood recipes you’ll love
Seafood
Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass
Seafood
Fisherman’s Stew
Beef Recipes
Crab-Stuffed Beef Tenderloin
Dinner Recipes
Grilled Scallops with Parmesan and Lemon
If you’re looking for a delicious dish that will make you rethink seafood forever, try this Crab Imperial Recipe. You can’t go wrong with tender crab meat tossed in a buttery, creamy mixture.
Have you tried this recipe? Do us a favor and rate the recipe card with the ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ and drop a comment to help out the next reader.
Smoked Crab Imperial Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lbs jumbo lump crab
- ½ cup Mayo
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- 1 tsp Lemon juice
- ¼ Onion minced
- 2 tsp Tony Chachere’s BOLD Seasoning divided
- 1/2 tsp Ground mustard
- 1 Egg
- ½ tsp Parsley minced plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 300 degrees.
- Place the crab in a large bowl.
- Mix the mayo, Worcestershire, butter, and lemon juice in a bowl.
- Add the minced onion.
- Mix in 1 teaspoon of the Tony Chachere’s BOLD blend and the ground mustard to combine.
- Mix in the beaten egg to combine and the parsley.
- Add the mayo mixture to the bowl with the crab, folding gently to not break up the crab meat.
- Gently spoon into a small 6” cast iron skillet.
- When ready to smoke, add the wood chunks to the embers and place the skillet over a grate at least 10” from any flames.
- Cover the smoker and cook for 30 to 40 minutes until the crab imperial is golden and bubbling.
- Carefully, with heat resistant gloves, remove the skillet from the fire and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Garnish with the remaining Creole seasoning and minced parsley or chives.
- Spoon over beef tenderloin or serve as an appetizer.
Notes
Nutrition
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Imperial Crab Recipe FAQs
Although crab cake and imperial are similar in a lot of ingredients, they are totally different!
Crab imperial is creamier and has less structure, whereas the crab mixture is baked in a casserole dish. Maryland Crab cakes have a filler such as bread crumbs to give them more structure so they can be baked into “cakes.” Besides the crab flavor, they are totally different.
Where both are creamy crab recipes, deviled crab has a bit more bite and less velvety sauce than crab imperial.
The highest quality crab is a question of personal preference. Some species are more expensive than others and the meat yield will vary on size but as East Coasters, we firmly believe blue crab is the best.
We use jumbo lump crab meat, which comes from the body of the crab and features big chunks of meat. Lump meat is the most expensive crab to use, but it’s totally worth the investment. Since crab is the focus of this recipe, you want the best stuff you can get!
If you don’t want to use jumbo lump crab, you can use regular lump crab or backfin crab instead. You can also swap the crab out entirely and use lobster if preferred!
You can find high-quality lump crab meat at your local fish market or in the seafood department at most bigger markets. Look for “Lump Crab” on the label. You’ll want big chunks from the body for this recipe! We love real East Coast Maryland Blue crabs for their sweet flavor.
If you have a fish market nearby, we recommend calling and asking if they carry it. If they do, great! If they don’t, you might be able to have them order you some. Make sure you check how much they are charging per pound so you know what you’re getting into. Lump crab meat can cost up to $20-$25 per pound (at the time of updating this).
No! Crab is the main ingredient in this recipe, and you can really taste the crab. Imitation just won’t cut it here, and we highly recommend using the real blue crab meat for the best flavor and texture.
Yes, you can easily cause the delicate crab meat to dry out if you over cook it.
I followed this recipe exactly and the flavor is amazing.
But know that when it comes out of the smoker it is not nearly as much liquid as it is showing in photos.
We so far have eaten it over crackers and would be amazing over a steak with some Bearnaise or Hollandaise sauce.
It was just more dry than I thought it would be.
Also maybe a bit more lemon.
I would most definitely recommend this and will for sure make again!
Oh heck yes! What’s not to love about this recipe? Creamy, savory, delicious! I think I’m already falling in love with this imperial on top of that gorgeous beef! I’m about ready to lick my screen!
My what a beautiful dish! I’ve never had crab this way but would love to try it! Sounds and looks magnificent.
Even the name of this recipe must make you want to party like a queen! Delicious crab with some incredible food shots. Love it all. And the smoking must see the flavors go through the roof!
I have never had crab imperial. But it over that meat, my goodness! I am drooling. I may have to attempt this recipe for sure.
My mouth is watering just looking at this smoked crab imperial recipe! What a rich and tasty dish to serve for special occasions. I live in the PNW so crab is (thankfully) easy to source. I can’t wait to use some in this gorgeous dish!
This smoked crab imperial is sure to take any party to the next level.
I’m drooling just reading this post! It’s NYE and I have been planning on a crab feast. I’ve never heard of Crab Imperial but it sounds great to me. This is the ultimate surf and turf!
This dish looks seriously delicious! I am loving the idea of serving it over the beef tenderloin for a date night dinner with the hubby. He will be impressed for sure.
This smoked crab imperial over beef takes a whole new level to surf and turf. This would be a great New Year’s eve or date night dish.