The Ultimate Guide to Making Crab Imperial Sauce From Scratch

Crab imperial sauce is a creamy, decadent sauce that pairs perfectly with crab meat. This sauce has its origins on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, which is renowned for its blue crab harvest. The richness of the crab meat complements the creamy imperial sauce beautifully.

In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to make crab imperial sauce from scratch at home. We’ll cover tips for choosing the best crab meat, putting together the simple list of ingredients, and assembling the sauce step-by-step. I’ll also share serving ideas, storage instructions, and helpful tips I’ve learned from making this recipe time and time again.

Choosing the Best Crab Meat for Imperial Sauce

The star of any crab imperial recipe is the crab meat itself. You’ll want to use fresh jumbo lump crab meat for the best texture and flavor. Phillips and other premium seafood brands sell pasteurized jumbo lump crab meat that is ready to use right from the container. Here’s what to look for when buying crab meat:

• Jumbo Lump Style – This refers to large, intact pieces of crab meat from the body and claws. Jumbo lump has the best appearance and texture.

• Pasteurized – Pasteurized crab meat has been heat treated to kill bacteria, increasing the shelf life. Refrigerated, it will last about 4-5 days after opening

• From Blue Crabs – Most lump crab meat comes from blue crabs harvested in the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf Coast regions, This tastes sweeter than many other varieties,

• Free of Shell Pieces – Premium lump crab meat should not contain any shell fragments, cartilage, or crab innards.

When buying fresh crab to pick yourself, choose crabs that feel heavy for their size. Heavy crabs will yield more meat.

Gathering the Imperial Sauce Ingredients

The beauty of crab imperial sauce is that it contains common ingredients you likely already have on hand.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Mayonnaise – Use a high quality mayo like Hellmann’s. The mayo forms the base of the sauce.

• Worcestershire Sauce – Adds depth of flavor and a hint of umami.

• Dijon Mustard – Chosen for its tangy flavor; any Dijon you have will work.

• Old Bay Seasoning – The quintessential Chesapeake Bay spice blend, this adds warmth through spices like paprika, mustard, cloves and ginger.

• Sugar – A bit of sugar balances flavors and adds subtle sweetness.

• Italian Parsley – Fresh parsley brightens the sauce.

• Lemon Juice – A squeeze of lemon juice gives the sauce acidity. Bottled is fine.

• Egg – Lightly beaten egg helps bind the sauce so it coats the crab meat nicely.

That’s all you need for a basic imperial sauce! Now let’s go over the easy steps to put it all together.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Imperial Sauce

Making crab imperial sauce takes just a few minutes. Here are the simple steps:

1. In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, Old Bay seasoning, sugar, Italian parsley, and lemon juice until thoroughly combined.

2. Add the lightly beaten egg and whisk again until incorporated. This helps emulsify the sauce.

3. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Add more Old Bay for a stronger crab flavor or a pinch of cayenne for heat.

4. Use the sauce right away or refrigerate up to 2 days. The sauce may separate upon sitting; just give it a quick whisk before using.

And that’s it – you just made crab imperial sauce from scratch! Now let’s go over some serving suggestions and extra tips.

Serving Suggestions for Crab Imperial

Crab imperial sauce shines when paired with jumbo lump crab meat. Here are some of my favorite ways to use it:

• Bake as Crab Imperial – Combine sauce with lump crab meat. Scoop into a baking dish or ramekins and top with breadcrumbs. Bake until bubbly and browned.

• Stuff into Crab Shells – For an impressive presentation, bake the crab and sauce mixture in natural crab shells.

• Use as a Crab Dip – Heat crab and sauce in a casserole dish to serve with baguette slices or crackers for dipping.

• Top Filets or Steaks – Spoon imperial sauce over fish filets or beef steaks for an easy restaurant-quality meal.

• Fill Mushroom Caps – For a tasty appetizer, fill mushroom caps with the crab and sauce mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan before baking.

However you choose to use it, crab imperial sauce takes crab to a luxurious new level. Let’s finish up with some helpful tips.

Tips for Crab Imperial Success

With these tips, you’ll have flawless crab imperial every time:

• When adding sauce to crab, go light. You want the crab coated, not swimming in sauce.

• Don’t overbake, as this can make the crab dry. Bake just until heated through and lightly browned on top.

• For a decorative touch, top with paprika or chopped parsley before serving.

• Refrigerate leftover crab imperial up to 2 days. The sauce may separate; just stir before reheating gently.

• Double or triple the sauce recipe as needed if making a large batch of crab imperial.