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2. Use half crabmeat and half shrimp, clams, or mussels. Add 4 tablespoons sherry or Madeira to the mixture.

3. Combine 3/4 pound crabmeat with 1/2 pound sliced sautéed mushrooms. Add to the sauce and flavor with 3 tablespoons brandy or whiskey.

4. This variation is called Hongroise. Add 1 tablespoon of Hungarian paprika to the sauce.

5. Indienne. Add 2 tablespoons grated onion and 1 tablespoon curry powder to the sauce. Serve on rice with a garnish of toasted almonds and crisp French-fried onions.

6. Pile creamed crab in a baking dish or in individual ramekins. Sprinkle with finely chopped almonds and crumbs and dot with butter. Brown quickly in a 425° oven.

CRABMEAT MORNAY

Combine 1 pound crabmeat with 13/4 to 2 cups sauce Mornay (page 22). Serve with croustades or in ramekins.

VARIATIONS

1. Heap the crabmeat Mornay in shells or ramekins and top with grated cheese and buttered toasted crumbs. Run under the broiler for a few minutes to brown.

2. Florentine. Cover the bottom of a casserole with finely chopped cooked spinach. Top with crabmeat and cover with sauce Mornay. Sprinkle with paprika and buttered crumbs and brown quickly under the broiler or in a hot oven.

3. Poach some small oysters in their own liquor and a little white wine until the edges curl. In a baking dish arrange a layer of crabmeat and then a layer of the oysters. Top with sauce Mornay, sprinkle with crumbs and grated cheese, and brown quickly under the broiler.

4. Stuff large mushroom caps with crabmeat and arrange in a flat baking dish. Top each mushroom with sauce Mornay and sprinkle with crumbs. Brown quickly under the broiler or bake in a 450° oven for to or 12 minutes.

5. Heat the crabmeat in 3 tablespoons butter. Add 1 tablespoon grated horseradish, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 4 tablespoons chopped parsley, and 2 tablespoons grated onion. Arrange in the bottom of a baking dish and top with sauce Mornay. Sprinkle with buttered crumbs and brown quickly under the broiler.

CRABMEAT SOUFFLÉ

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon grated onion

4 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup milk

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Nutmeg

Juice of 1/2 lemon

11/2 cups crabmeat

4 egg yolks, slightly beaten

6 egg whites

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan, add the onion, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the flour and mix well. Gradually stir in the milk until the mixture has thickened. Season to taste with the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Remove from the heat, add the crabmeat, and stir in the egg yolks. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold in one half of them and blend well. Then fold in the second half very lightly. Pour into a buttered soufflé dish and bake in a 375° oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until the soufflé is light and puffy.

Serve with a sauce Mornay (page 22) or a sauce béchamel (page 23) with a little crabmeat and 4 tablespoons sherry added.

CRAB CAKES

This famous Southern dish has changed a great deal from the early days, possibly because we have lost much of the quality and distinction of the good regional cooking of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is my personal opinion that these popular cakes, considered great delicacies in Maryland, are a bit on the heavy side. But they have a great public.

4 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup bread crumbs

1 pound crabmeat

3 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

4 tablespoons chopped parsley

Heavy cream

Flour

Melt the butter in a skillet and cook the onion until just transparent. Add the crumbs and blend well. Mix with the crabmeat, eggs, and seasonings. Add just enough cream to bind the mixture together. Shape into large flat cakes. Roll each cake in flour and fry in butter or oil until nicely browned on both sides and cooked through. Serve with tartar sauce (pages 35–36) or lemon butter (page 31).

PILAF DE CRABE

This is a recipe from a small Martiniquaise restaurant in Paris that specializes in all the dishes of the Indies.

6 strips of bacon, finely cut

2 medium onions, finely