Recipe of the Week: FeauxCrabmeat Au Gratin

The first time I had crabmeat au gratin was at Tony Angelo’s in New Orleans (pre-Katrina, sadly, I heard it’s gone downhill since it’s comeback).  I’ve tried replicating a few times over the years, but this recipe is the best one I’ve found so far.

The original recipe calls for real crabmeat, but sadly, that’s just tough to find here in the midwest at a reasonable price.  So I used this:

Which was on sale, and is nice & low calorie.  The garlic flavor actually worked REALLY well with this dish. (Note: if you make a full batch, remember to buy two packages, since they’re only 8oz each.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter

1/2 cup chopped green onions (or 1/8 cup dried green onions)

2 cloves garlic, mixed

1 lb Louis Kemp Garlic Herb imitation crab (diced into irregular 1/2 to 1 inch pieces)

2 tsp Cajun seasoning

1/2 cup evaporated skim milk

2/3 cup fat free sour cream

2 eggs or 1/2 cup  egg substitute

1/2 tsp Tabasco

2/3 cup grated cheese (we mixed part skim mozzarella & 2% cheddar)

paprika

2 tbsp seasoned bread crumbs

lemon wedges

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat & add the butter—once that’s melted, add the garlic & onions & saute for 2 minutes.  Add the feauxcrabmeat and the Cajun Seasoning, & saute for 5 minutes, & turn heat to Low.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the milk, egg, sour cream, and Tabasco until well blended. Add this to the skillet with the crabmeat & stir constantly for 5 minutes as the sauce starts to thicken.

Pour it all into a greased 8x8 pan or 2-quart casserole dish, then cover with the shredded cheese.  Sprinkle lightly with paprika & the bread crumbs. 

Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted & begins to brown.  Serve hot, with lemon wedges.  Serves 4.

I served it with mashed potatoes & Cajun brown gravy, and a green vegetable (to add some color & extra vitamins to the plate).

Nutrition facts (crabmeat au gratin only):

Calories: 219

Fat: 4.3 g

Protein: 28.4g

Carbs: 12.4g

Cholesterol: 100mg

Fiber: 0.2g

Sodium: 462 mg