Outer Banks Crab Gratin

From EatingWell: March/April 1991 — Subscribe Now!

Our crab gratin is rich with a whole pound of crabmeat and topped with golden-brown breadcrumbs. Serve with brown rice or whole-grain toast points.

4 servings

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

2/3 cup nonfat milk, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2/3 cup nonfat evaporated milk
2 hard-boiled eggs, (see Tip), whites only
1 pound lump crabmeat, fresh or frozen and thawed, picked over and patted dry
3 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon minced jalapeño pepper, (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons coarse dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs, (see Tip)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Whisk 1/3 cup milk and flour in a small bowl until smooth. Heat the remaining 1/3 cup milk and evaporated milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until steaming. Whisk in the flour mixture; cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 30 to 60 seconds. Finely chop egg whites. Combine with crabmeat, mayonnaise, jalapeño (if using), dry mustard, cayenne, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the milk mixture. Spoon into a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle the toasted breadcrumbs on top. Bake until heated through, about 25 minutes.

Tips & Notes

Tips: To hard-boil eggs, place in a single layer in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook at the barest simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, pour out hot water and fill the pan with a mixture of cold water and ice cubes; let stand until the eggs are completely cooled.
To make fresh breadcrumbs, trim crusts from whole-wheat bread. Tear bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. One slice of bread makes about 1/2 cup fresh crumbs. For dry breadcrumbs, spread the fresh crumbs on a baking sheet and bake at 250°F until crispy, about 15 minutes. One slice of fresh bread makes about 1/3 cup dry crumbs. Or use prepared coarse dry breadcrumbs. We like Ian's brand labeled “Panko breadcrumbs.” Find them in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets.

Nutrition

Per serving: 207 calories; 3 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 116 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrates; 30 g protein; 1 g fiber; 592 mg sodium; 609 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (74% daily value), Zinc (37% dv), Calcium (31% dv).

1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1/2 reduced-fat milk, 2 very lean meat