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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