Very Crabby...

If You Like Strong Crab Flavor, These Babies Are For You!

I was in a local catering/prepared food restaurant recently and noticed their Crab Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms. They were piled high and looked so delicious. I didn't have the guts to ask for the recipe, so I looked online and found a few that sounded pretty good.

The one I settled on was by the Food Network's Bobby Flay. I was never a huge fan of his grilling show, (because I almost never grill), but some of his non-grill recipes have caught my eye lately.

This recipe is actually one he got from a restaurant in Baltimore called Da Mimmo. (It figures I liked this one, since it is from an Italian restaurant). I did change a few things and only made 1/2 the recipe to serve two. Although I did like the dish, if I made it again I would probably add more crackers and mayonnaise to loosen up the crab taste and texture. And by doing this the same amount of crab could serve upto four.

Portobellos Stuffed with Crab Meat:
Funghi Portobello Farci con Carne di Granchi
Recipe courtesy Da Mimmo Restaurant by Bobby Flay

1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for cartilage, I used an 8 ounce container of Crabmeat
1 egg, I beat up one egg and used only half
1 tablespoon mayonnaise, I used 1 1/2 teaspoons
1 teaspoon mustard, I used 1/2 teaspoon
12 saltine crackers, I used 6 Ritz Crackers
1 teaspoon crab boil seasoning, I used 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce, I used 1/2 teaspoon
4 large portobello mushrooms, de-stemmed, I used two
1 teaspoon butter, I used 1/2 teaspoon
Sprinkle paprika
Lemon slices, sliced tomatoes, or sliced cucumbers, for garnish. (I didn't bother with the garnish). Place the crab into a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, combine egg, mayonnaise, mustard, crackers, crab boil seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well. Gently fold mixture into the crab.

Place crab mixture equally on top of each portobello mushroom. Top each center of the stuffing with a 1/4 teaspoon of butter. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 380 degrees F. Bake for 15 minutes, then place under the broiler for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve with your favorite garnish, perhaps sliced lemon, tomato or cucumber.