Crab Newburg à la Cross Creek

Name: Crab Newburg à la Cross Creek
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 pound crabmeat, approximately 2 cups; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or instant flour; 1 1/2 cups heavy cream; 2 tablespoons lemon juice (or juice of 1 lemon); Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; Pinch of ground cloves; 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika, or to taste; Pinch of cayenne pepper, or to taste; 1/2 cup dry sherry; 3 eggs; 1 tablespoon brandy; 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped

Recipe from Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Adapted by Sam Sifton

Crab Newburg à la Cross Creek — William Brinson for the New York Times. Food stylist: Suzanne Lenzer. Prop Stylist: Susan Brinson.

Total Time: 10 minutes
Rating: 4(172)
Comments: Read comments

Crab Newburg was Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’s most celebrated dish, the one on which the Florida author of "The Yearling" claimed laurels as a cook. It is a version of the famous 19th-century lobster recipe popularized at Delmonico’s in New York.

Making it is an easy business, as much an assemblage as a recipe. You heat crabmeat in an enormous amount of butter, thicken it slightly with flour, thicken it a great deal with cream and eggs and cut the fat (slightly) with spices and booze. The resulting pinkish stew ought to be served with toast points or in a puff-pastry shell, perhaps with rice and absolutely with a green salad with a tart, lemony vinaigrette. Rawlings admits that you might use less cream, or less butter or fewer eggs. “The brandy may be omitted,” she cautions, “but never the sherry.”

You’ll want to set everything up well before dinner so that you can work quickly and serve the dish directly from the pan. —Sam Sifton

Featured in: Crab Without a Net

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

6tablespoons unsalted butter
1pound crabmeat, approximately 2 cups
2tablespoons all-purpose flour or instant flour
1½cups heavy cream
2tablespoons lemon juice (or juice of 1 lemon)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Pinch of ground cloves
½teaspoon sweet paprika, or to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper, or to taste
½cup dry sherry
3eggs
1tablespoon brandy
1tablespoon parsley, finely chopped

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a large, heavy skillet set over medium heat, melt the butter but do not allow it to brown. Add the crabmeat and stir gently. Cook for one minute, then sprinkle flour over the top and stir gently to incorporate. Cook for another minute or so, then add cream slowly, stirring gently, followed by lemon juice. When sauce is smooth and beginning to thicken, add salt, pepper, cloves, paprika and cayenne pepper and stir to combine. Add sherry and stir again.
Step 2
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until they are almost foaming, then add to the hot crab mixture and stir to combine. Add the brandy, garnish with parsley and rush to the table, serving with toast points.

Ratings

4 out of 5

172 user ratings

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Comments

KW7 years ago

Back in the 1960s, my parents regularly served a version of this when it was their turn to host their Bridge or Duplicate Bridge or Church Women's group. But it had diced pimento instead of paprika; mayonnaise instead of lemon and eggs; a tsp of Worcestershire instead of cloves; 2+ tsp Tabasco instead of cayenne. No subs for the sherry or brandy. Very grand for the time and place.

Andy6 years ago

YUM, served it as a dip for an apre' ski party and it was a great hit. I followed the recipe exactly, EXCEPT, I kept the addition of the crab meat till last... mine was already cooked and further cooking doesn't improve it.

Allyson Roe6 years ago

Add the crab meat at end so it doesn’t get tough.

anne6 years ago

This was great. I used dungeness crab during our snowpocalypse here in the PNW. I did 1/3 of the already cooked crab per the recipe (putting it in the skillet at start) and then the rest at the very end. I also added other fresh herbs and green peas, topped it with a little shredded parm and smoked salt. Yum! Good on toast & crackers and I bet would be great in pasta. I can imagine chopped celery in it for crunch. Do you think I can freeze the rest? I used 2 crabs and it made a lot.

Ruth6 years ago

Has anyone tried this without the flour ? Or a keto approved substitute ?? Trying to be strict keto but would love to try this!! Would prob serve on bib lettuce

Jim6 years ago

Hoo Hah! I got a gold star for doing this New Year's morning brunch, following the recipe as written with toast points. Everybody won: puppies got the crusts and folks got the crab. I'm never sure how much is a "pinch" so I did TLAR (that looks about right) on the spice mix. Next time I will do 2 "pinches" of cayenne and kick up the heat a notch. Quantities here seem appropriate for 4 servings. We are two, and ate about half of it. Now, what to do with the rest? Maybe over eggs?

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