This is an amazing recipe that works well all by itself as a glorious appetizer or paired with a main course. With a few simple ingredients and fresh crab, the smoker adds an amazing layer of flavor to an already luscious recipe.
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
When using any crab meat, you want to quickly look it over for small shells. Hard to spot, but there is often one or two that slipped through that can be pulled out before you mix the crab with anything else. If you are using crab meat packed in a container, make sure to drain it of any liquid before you start this recipe. Crab meat is one of the few ingredients where I will really splurge. I want to make sure that it's top-quality jump lump crab meat. It costs more than canned crab, but it's worth every penny for special occasions. We used Creole seasoning for this recipe, but for an authentic Maryland crab imperial, use Old Bay.