Warm Crab Pie Recipe
A dazzling Warm Crab Pie Recipe to wow your party guests this year!
Some things never change. I love crabmeat… Always have, always will.
When I was a little girl, I thought The Red Lobster was the fanciest restaurant on the planet. I mean, only a truly elegant restaurant would offer grown-ups special bibs so their clothes wouldn’t get dirty!
Every chance I got, I would plead with my parents to go there. Birthdays were a given. I would gaze in wonder at the lobsters swimming in the tanks, waiting to become someone’s dinner.
I wasn’t interested in eating something that was so alive only moments before it arrived on my plate. I wanted my dinner dead long before I got it.
Instead I ordered snow crab legs and an extra basket of garlic cheese biscuits. Then would tremble with excitement at the thought of my heaping plate of claws and the extra special tools with which to eat them.
Well a lot has changed since then. One, I have discovered that the Red Lobster is not the fanciest restaurant on the planet, and that plastic bibs and shell pliers do not equal high-class.
I have also realized it is much better to eat food that is very recently dead. (Take a moment to judge me if you so desire.)
Yet, I’m still gaga over crabmeat, and believe it to be one of the most sweet, tender, succulent proteins around.
Crab “fancies up” just about everything it graces. Even lowly party dip with crackers is taken to new heights by the addition of crab. This Warm Crab Pie Recipe is a wonderful small meal, first-course, or party dish with understated elegance.
Buttery homemade pastry filled with glorious lump crabmeat, tarragon and spice… No shelling necessary!
Consider serving this Warm Crab Pie Recipe for your New Year’s Eve party this year. The fresh hot herby crabmeat and homemade pastry shell are a show-stopper at any event.
Warm Crab Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt divided
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes (1 1/2 sticks)
- 4-6 tablespoons ice cold water
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 large eggs
- 8 ounces crab meat, cooked and drained
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped tarragon
- 1 small shallot grated
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- For the homemade puff pastry crust: Combine the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Pulse a few times. Add the cold butter and pulse until the bits of butter are the size of peas. Add the cold water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing in between, until the dough comes together. It will be a bit lumpy.
- Shape the dough into a rectangle, then wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the dough on a floured work surface and roll out to a 8x20-inch rectangle. Trim the rough edges. Then cut down the center lengthwise. Cut each strip into 5 pieces, creating ten 4-inch squares of dough. Fold each square and place them into muffin tins. Press the centers down to the bottom and press the folds into the sides. Prick the bottoms of the shells several times with a fork. Bake the shells for 15 minutes. Then cool a little.
- In the meantime, combine the cream and eggs in a medium sized bowl. Whisk until smooth. Then stir in the crabmeat, tarragon, shallot, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Scoop the crab mixture into each shell evenly. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the filling is puffed and the edges are golden. Serve warm.
I was laughing while reading because my Mom loves Red Lobster – she's easy to please! These tartlets look insanely good – I'll take these over Red Lobster anytime
Oh, YUM! I adore crab as well…these look like fabulous appetizers!
Yum! I was the same way when I was little, thinking that Red Lobster was fancier than it was. Seafood was always a treat, so Red Lobster had to be something special! Your tarts sound amazing.
When I was a kid, going to Swiss Chalet (a roasted chicken chain restaurant in Canada) was beyond exciting. But it's laughable now! Your crab tartlets are gorgeous, though. I am so saving this recipe!
These look awesome! Perfect party food! Would it be terrible to cheat and use store-bought pie crust? Oooh, or maybe wonton wrappers would be fun pressed into the tins in place of flaky dough – they would crisp up at the edges and make a crab rangoon sort of thingy.
I love crab too, especially crab cakes. These crab tarts look great and I might just have to make them for New Year's Eve.
Seriously Sommer – ME TOO about the Red Lobster as a child!! I was just telling Paul about how that was "the" place to go for birthdays when I was little and the height of sophistication with a Shirley Temple cocktail. Great post! Doesn't it make you wonder what our babies will think looking back? The recipe looks perfect for New Years Eve.
Yes. Please.
These look and sound great. Ill have to make them soon!
Oh Sommer, those look fantastic. I love crab too. I'd probably finish off the whole pan by myself!
Seems that crab meat is a perfect appetizer food. Your recipe looks fantastic. I'll have to give it a try this upcoming weekend.
Happy Holidays!
Thanks for sharing,
Joanne
Red Lobster was so fancy for me too!lol. These look amazing and I can't wait ton try your tasty recipe.
Ha ha, I thought that red lobster was high class too, along with black angus! These crab tartlets look delicious! I will have to make them for my next get together. My husband will love them…
You're so cute, Sommer! I used to love Red Lobster too, and I still love crab meat: snow and blue being my favorites. In fact, this type of meat is what I eat when I cheat. Ooh, that rhymed (smile).
These crab tartlets look wonderful by the way, and I'm sure they're better than what most restaurants would serve up these days;-)
Me too! LOL, that and Olive Garden. These look to die for.
OMG, crab's my recent favorite! I mean I've recently fallen in love with it and 'm not sure why I never tasted it before. This recipe looks great. I was looking for one such tried n tested crab recipe that doesn't scare me, to try!
P.S: I too used to think until recently that Red Lobster is the fanciest restaurant :-)
Yes, love crab for New Years. Always. I love the rustic look of these and really they're not hard- and would certainly win hearts in my home.
I attempted some crab cakes a few weeks ago, total disaster, but I love crab, I think I will try these tartlets, thank you for sharing!
flavourful tarts looks fabulous