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ELLIE’S CRAB IMPERIAL – from the shores of the Chesapeake Bay

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Hi there,

I want to introduce you to Ellie Lunsford. I had the pleasure of knowing Ellie when my children were school age. She and her husband, Bill, would pull into our small town in their huge Cadillac and make going to Grandparent’s day a party. They were to my son, Andrew, adopted grandparents. Andrew would hopeinto that car with their grandson, Rich, and off they would go to school to be followed by a lunch out at a place of their choice.

Ellie was a true lady from the south. She was from Reedville, VA, where crabbing and fishing were a big commercial industry. She exuded warmth, gentility, and hospitality. Ellie married her high school sweetheart. She moved “north” to Yankee territory after her husband, Billy, opened a fish processing plant outside Wildwood, NJ. She brought her southern ways, recipes, and her friendly southern accent with her.

Ellie had a delightful sense of humor. As she aged, she decided she would live life just the way she chose. Apparently one time Fran, her daughter-in-law, looked askance at one of those choices. Ellie told Fran, “I got my letter”. Confused Fran asked her what letter? Ellie replied, “the letter that says at my age I can do just as I please”. Now that we have reached that age, we understand the letter, and very often do as we please and explain to anyone who questions our behavior that we received our letter.

The following recipe was published in the Reedville Cookbook. A best seller in Ellie’s hometown of approximately 100 people.

Good manners and good food never go out of style.

Ellie’s Crab Imperial

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of backfin crabmeat
  • 1/2 tablespoon of chopped pimiento
  • 1/2 tablespoon of chopped green pepper
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 3/4 cup of mayonnaise, plus additional 1/4 cup for topping
  • black pepper to taste
  • paprika for topping

Heavy Cream Sauce ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons of butter
  • 5 tablespoons of all purpose flour
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/4 teaspoon of dry mustard
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons of drained capers
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  2. Pick the shells from crabmeat
  3. Sauté pimiento and green pepper in 1 tablespoon of butter
  4. Make a heavy cream sauce by melting butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat and stirring in flour, milk, and salt
  5. Stir until mixture is smooth and thick
  6. Add the sautéed vegetables, 3/4 cup of mayonnaise, and remaining ingredients to the sauce. Leave out the crabmeat, mayonnaise and paprika.
  7. Gently fold in the crabmeat taking care not to break up the big lumps
  8. Spread into a shallow baking dish
  9. Spread the remaining mayonnaise on top
  10. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes
  11. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with paprika

Special Note: Fran says she omits spreading the mayonnaise on the top of casserole.

I hope you have enjoyed meeting Ellie and her recipe for Crab Imperial as much as I have enjoyed bring her to you.

Talk soon, ❤️💕 Bernadette

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31 responses to “ELLIE’S CRAB IMPERIAL – from the shores of the Chesapeake Bay”

  1. Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen – I'm a writer, cook, gardener, photographer, poet, quilter, and accomplished daydreamer. I'm also a wife, mother, grandmother, sister. cousin, aunt, and friend, no particular order on any given day. I've been a writer all my life, newspaper reporter and columnist, radio news writer, and magazine contributor, and poet and short-story writer as the spirit moves. Now, I turn my attention to my cookbook, the blog, and a cooking column "Memorable Meals," which runs in our county newspaper. Besides my family, I love dogs, cats, good coffee, and my never-dwindling pile of books I intend to read. Our family ran a small Vermont Inn for 18 years, with our focus on local, organic ingredients. After many years of daily serving up of our local delicacies, cooking classes, and catering, we are now only open for special events, and the odd cooking class as the spirit moves me. We also host musicians and artists, having helped produce a musical festival and other musical events for nearly 20 years. Many incredible artists have found a place at our table. Wonderful experiences, we will treasure always. My family and friends are my practice subjects. With a family that includes nut, peanut, tree fruit, and vegetable allergies, gluten intolerance, dairy intolerance, vegetarians, vegans, heart conscious, and a couple of picky eaters, there has to be a few quick tricks in the book to keep everyone fed and happy! Personally, I do not eat red meat or most dairy (usually) for health reasons, making the occasional exception at Thanksgiving and Christmas or our anniversary if the duck is locally raised. I do eat fish and seafood, so I try to come up with alternatives and substitutions when available. I serve local organic eggs and cheeses to my family who can tolerate dairy (My husband recently had a heart attack, and I need to watch my own cholesterol so I am careful, but have been known to let a little piece of really good cheese accidentally fall on my plate!). I believe strongly that eating in a way that is good for our planet is also good for our bodies! I cook by the seasons and draw on inspiration from the strong and talented women in my family who came before me, as well as the youth in the family who look at the world with fresh eyes. Food links us all, whether sharing a meal, cooking it together, or writing about it for others to enjoy. I love taking an old recipe and giving it a modern spin, especially if I can make it a littler healthier and use foods that are kinder to the Earth and to our bodies. I believe strongly in sustainable, delicious eating of whole foods, and the wonderful flavors we have at our fingertips! And finally, I love conversing with all the talented cooks and chefs out there who dot the globe! It's a wonderful, world full of culinary pen pals, and I cherish them all! XXXOOO Dorothy
    Dorothy’s New Vintage Kitchen says:

    This sounds wonderful! Nothing like fresh crab.

    Reply
      • Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen – I'm a writer, cook, gardener, photographer, poet, quilter, and accomplished daydreamer. I'm also a wife, mother, grandmother, sister. cousin, aunt, and friend, no particular order on any given day. I've been a writer all my life, newspaper reporter and columnist, radio news writer, and magazine contributor, and poet and short-story writer as the spirit moves. Now, I turn my attention to my cookbook, the blog, and a cooking column "Memorable Meals," which runs in our county newspaper. Besides my family, I love dogs, cats, good coffee, and my never-dwindling pile of books I intend to read. Our family ran a small Vermont Inn for 18 years, with our focus on local, organic ingredients. After many years of daily serving up of our local delicacies, cooking classes, and catering, we are now only open for special events, and the odd cooking class as the spirit moves me. We also host musicians and artists, having helped produce a musical festival and other musical events for nearly 20 years. Many incredible artists have found a place at our table. Wonderful experiences, we will treasure always. My family and friends are my practice subjects. With a family that includes nut, peanut, tree fruit, and vegetable allergies, gluten intolerance, dairy intolerance, vegetarians, vegans, heart conscious, and a couple of picky eaters, there has to be a few quick tricks in the book to keep everyone fed and happy! Personally, I do not eat red meat or most dairy (usually) for health reasons, making the occasional exception at Thanksgiving and Christmas or our anniversary if the duck is locally raised. I do eat fish and seafood, so I try to come up with alternatives and substitutions when available. I serve local organic eggs and cheeses to my family who can tolerate dairy (My husband recently had a heart attack, and I need to watch my own cholesterol so I am careful, but have been known to let a little piece of really good cheese accidentally fall on my plate!). I believe strongly that eating in a way that is good for our planet is also good for our bodies! I cook by the seasons and draw on inspiration from the strong and talented women in my family who came before me, as well as the youth in the family who look at the world with fresh eyes. Food links us all, whether sharing a meal, cooking it together, or writing about it for others to enjoy. I love taking an old recipe and giving it a modern spin, especially if I can make it a littler healthier and use foods that are kinder to the Earth and to our bodies. I believe strongly in sustainable, delicious eating of whole foods, and the wonderful flavors we have at our fingertips! And finally, I love conversing with all the talented cooks and chefs out there who dot the globe! It's a wonderful, world full of culinary pen pals, and I cherish them all! XXXOOO Dorothy
        Dorothy’s New Vintage Kitchen says:

        Such a great story Bernadette! That is what gives heart to a recipe, the story behind it!

  2. Chef Mimi – As a self-taught home cook, with many years in the culinary profession, I am passionate about all things food-related. Especially eating!
    chef mimi says:

    Wow! I’d just be excited to have that much crab meat in front of me! But the recipe sounds marvelous!

    Reply

  3. I know, crab meat is so expensive. But, Fran made this recently for a dinner party of 8 and she had some leftovers. It really streches.

    Reply
  4. the Painted Apron – Life is all about creativity for me, as long as I'm creating something I am happy! I hope I will inspire your daily life and give you ideas for your own wonderful creations!
    the Painted Apron says:

    How delightful, I love your stories!
    Jenna

    Reply

  6. I’ve saved this crab imperial recipe. Thank you for sharing! Also, looking forward to getting my “letter” in the mail😉🌺

    Reply

  8. This sounds like a very tasty combination. Love her spirit!

    Reply

  10. Fran made it for a dinner party she invited me to. We were 8 people and she had left overs. It would be a great dish around the holidays. Thank for reading.

    Reply
  11. Time Traveler of Life – Where my Motor Home is! – Biography Creating worlds, characters, and wielding power like a madwoman, making my characters happy, sad, angry, and some of them with no redeeming qualities. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I sometimes laugh out loud when I am writing a scene, and I have been known to cry when one of my favorites has to die. I am a left-handed Gemini, what do you expect? Reading bedtime stories to my two children until they fell asleep or until they just told me to go away, was fun. Making up wild stories for my grandchild, and creating Halloween costumes from Cowboys to a Dragon, was another favorite thing to do. I missed that so much when they were grown, that I started writing. My yearly newsletters frequently were drafted third-person by my Love Birds, Miranda our motorhome, and by Sir Fit the White Knight, our faithful Honda. Throughout the years, some of my creative talents centered around writing letters of complaint expressing my displeasure with services or products. One crucial, at least to my Son, was a note to our local school bus driver petitioning her to allow him back on the bus. He was kicked off for making an obscene gesture at his buddy. I reminded her that it was not directed at her, and that “obscenity can be in the eye of the beholder,” kids use that gesture as a greeting. He rode the bus until he graduated. I loved driving my English teacher crazy. Leaving a “continued next week” at the end of my five handwritten pages required each week. He was one of many people that suggested I “do something about my writing.” I graduated from the School of Hard Knocks at the top of my class. After 30 years, in the trenches as a Real Estate Professional, I have found that truth is stranger than fiction. My books are filled with characters I met in that profession. Their names were changed to protect the guilty. Others were from people we met traveling around the country in Miranda, our Motorhome. I am married nearly 60 years to the love of my life, Shirl, and partner-produced two exceptionally talented children, and one grandchild who is our pride and joy.
    Time Traveler of Life says:

    It sounds wonderful, I wish real crabmeat was as easy to find as it used to be. I may keep the recipe in case I becomes more available. Thanks for posting.

    Reply
  12. Time Traveler of Life – Where my Motor Home is! – Biography Creating worlds, characters, and wielding power like a madwoman, making my characters happy, sad, angry, and some of them with no redeeming qualities. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I sometimes laugh out loud when I am writing a scene, and I have been known to cry when one of my favorites has to die. I am a left-handed Gemini, what do you expect? Reading bedtime stories to my two children until they fell asleep or until they just told me to go away, was fun. Making up wild stories for my grandchild, and creating Halloween costumes from Cowboys to a Dragon, was another favorite thing to do. I missed that so much when they were grown, that I started writing. My yearly newsletters frequently were drafted third-person by my Love Birds, Miranda our motorhome, and by Sir Fit the White Knight, our faithful Honda. Throughout the years, some of my creative talents centered around writing letters of complaint expressing my displeasure with services or products. One crucial, at least to my Son, was a note to our local school bus driver petitioning her to allow him back on the bus. He was kicked off for making an obscene gesture at his buddy. I reminded her that it was not directed at her, and that “obscenity can be in the eye of the beholder,” kids use that gesture as a greeting. He rode the bus until he graduated. I loved driving my English teacher crazy. Leaving a “continued next week” at the end of my five handwritten pages required each week. He was one of many people that suggested I “do something about my writing.” I graduated from the School of Hard Knocks at the top of my class. After 30 years, in the trenches as a Real Estate Professional, I have found that truth is stranger than fiction. My books are filled with characters I met in that profession. Their names were changed to protect the guilty. Others were from people we met traveling around the country in Miranda, our Motorhome. I am married nearly 60 years to the love of my life, Shirl, and partner-produced two exceptionally talented children, and one grandchild who is our pride and joy.
    Time Traveler of Life says:

    Reblogged this on Time Traveler on the road of Life and commented:
    re-blogging so more people can enjoy.

    Reply

  13. Bern, another great story and recipe. I know I’m going to make this. Crab imperial is one of Todd’s all time favorite dishes.

    Reply

    • I am reading your book. So enjoying your stories. I married into an Italian American family and lived all the different personalities. Your book is rekindling all those happy times.

      Reply

  17. Ellie sounds like someone you would enjoy being around and she could cook. Thank you for sharing her recipe Bernadette!

    Reply
  18. Her Oasis – pretoria north – I share experiences and lessons i learn through my struggles and victories as a wife, mother, sister, friend, partner, daughter and friend…
    Her Oasis says:

    Always looking for the new recipe. What did you prepare today?

    Reply
  19. Karen – New England – I travel the back roads of the world, sharing great food and interesting places and enjoyable pastimes.
    Karen says:

    I’m glad that Ellie got the letter as I’m sure all of that mayo makes this crab dish super moist and delicious.

    Reply

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