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Mary’s Place Deviled Crab
Deviled crab is popular all along southern shores, and it is a spe-
cialty in South Carolina. It was there we once came across a takeout
joint called Fishnet Seafoods, the proprietors of which were power-
fully religious. All around their little shop, which was a former gas sta-
tion, they posted signs reminding customers of Jesus’ goodness and
ultimate importance. Their belief was so strong that they called their
deviled crab by a different name: Jesus crab. When we inquired about
this dish, one of the employees told us,“It’s deviled crab, but too good
to be named for the devil.”
Our introduction to the best deviled crab, though, was not on the
Atlantic but near the Gulf Coast, in the town of Coden, Alabama, at a
bare-bones little eatery named Mary’s Place. Mary Hunter’s menu
was Creole soul food with a Mobile Bay twist, and here we learned to
appreciate such Gulf Coast passions as spicy steamed crabs and West
Indies salad, cool crabmeat and chopped onions in a bright vinai-
grette. (Mary passed away in 1990, but the restaurant is still there, and
still terrific.)
Mary once explained to us that the essential ingredient that made
her deviled crab so luxurious was supermarket white bread soaked in
whole milk. The deviled part comes from Tabasco sauce, and if you
like it hot as Hades, you can double or triple the amount in this non-
incendiary version.
6 slices white bread
1 cup whole milk
1 large egg
4 tablespoons (B/c stick) butter
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What Would Jesus Eat? 33
B/c cup minced green bell pepper
1 celery rib, minced fine
1 garlic clove, minced fine
1 pound crabmeat, picked clean
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
10 drops Tabasco sauce
6–10 clean, empty crab shells or ovenproof ramekins
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Tear the bread into pieces. Combine the milk and egg in a
medium bowl and soak the bread thoroughly in this mixture.
Melt the butter in a medium skillet and sauté the pepper, celery,
and garlic until they soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Add the crabmeat to the milk-soaked bread and combine it, using
your hands. Add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco
sauce. Add the sautéed vegetables. Mix well.
Rub olive or vegetable oil into the crab shells or ramekins. Pack
the crab mixture into them. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until sizzling.
Serve hot.
6 TO 8 SERVINGS AS AN APPETIZER
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Stern_i-xii,1-292F 2/3/06 10:46 AM Page 33
Two for the Road: Our Love Affair with American Food by Jane and Michael Stern
www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com2 of 2
Copyright © 2006 Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.