Crab Souffle

Souffles are a French cuisine that can be a bit of trick to get to come out right, but once you get the hang of things, it’s not too hard to master. While the recipe calls for fresh crab meat, I am not always able to get it, so often substitute imitation crab meat. If you can, beat the egg whites in a copper bowl (one of the tricks), copper reacts with the egg to create a stiffer whip. If you can’t find the fish fumet, you might consider buying canned crab and using the juice. Here is a substitute fish fumet you can make yourself.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz Crab meat – fresh and shredded
  • 4 oz Fish fumet – fish stock, hard to find but worth it.
  • 8 oz Cream – scalded
  • 5 Egg whites
  • 4 Egg yolks
  • 6 TBL Butter
  • 2 TBL Bread crumbs – can roll stale bread with roller
  • 2 TBL Brandy – dealer’s choice
  • 1 TBL Sherry – fino or white
  • 4.5 TBL Flour
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Process

  1. Mise en Place – measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting.
  2. Rub Souffle mold with 1 TBL of butter, then coat the sides and bottom of mold with bread crumbs.
  3. Melt 1 TBL butter over low heat and cook crab meat. Imitation crab meat may already be cooked.
  4. Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C).
  5. Pour brandy into sauce pan, light it, then pour over the crab meat while shaking the crab meat pan back and forth until the flame dies.
  6. Make a Roux
    1. In medium sauce pan, melt remaining butter on medium heat.
    2. Add flour and cook until brown (~4 mins), stir constantly.
    3. Remove from heat and whisk in the fish fumet. It is best if you preheat the fish stock so it’s hot. Work the roux until all the lumps are out.
    4. Add cream and cook over med heat until roux starts to boil.
    5. Remove from heat and add egg yolks one by one, whisking well after each addition.
    6. Add sherry and crab meat. Season with salt and pepper.
  7. Beat egg whites (in copper bowl if you have one), until stiff enough that a raw egg set on top only sinks in 0.25″.
  8. Mix a quarter of the egg whites into meat bowl base.
  9. Fold the remainder into the base and scrape the base into the mold.
  10. Bake until skewer in center is clean, ~40 mins.
  11. Serve immediately.

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