Crab Meat & Mushrooms in Wine Sauce
Submitted by sexyrn
Baked crab and mushroom casserole in a tarragon white wine cream sauce with dry mustard and hot sauce, topped with buttered breadcrumbs. A versatile classic you can also make with shrimp.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
30 minREADY
45 minSome recipes earn their place in the rotation by being endlessly reliable, and this casserole is one of them. A pound of fresh crab meat and sautéed mushrooms nestled in a tarragon-scented wine cream sauce, baked under a crunchy breadcrumb topping until golden and bubbling.
The sauce strikes that rare balance: rich enough to feel indulgent, but the white wine, dry mustard, and dash of hot sauce keep it bright and lively.
Swap in shrimp, or go half crab and half shrimp for a surf-and-surf situation that stretches the recipe further and adds another layer of flavor.
Variations
- All shrimp for a budget-friendly version with a firmer, meatier bite
- Half crab, half shrimp for the best of both worlds
Kitchen Tips
- Sauté fresh mushrooms in butter before adding to the sauce. This caramelizes them slightly and drives off moisture so they don’t water down the cream sauce.
- Dot the breadcrumb topping with butter before baking. Those butter bits melt into the crumbs and turn them crisp and golden.
- Remove the stiff membranes from the crab meat carefully. Run your fingers through it gently to catch any hidden cartilage without breaking up the larger pieces.
Ingredients
Directions
Pull crab meat apart and remove stiff membrances.
Sauté mushrooms in butter. (If mushrooms not fresh, add later.) Make a cream sauce blending melted butter, flour and milk, wine, mustard, tarragon, salt, pepper and hot sauce.
Cook 2 or 3 minutes, then add crab meat and mushrooms.
Place in casserole; sprinkle top with bread crumbs and dot with butter.
Bake at 350℉ (180℃) F for 30 minutes uncovered.
Cover before serving.
This can also be made with shrimp, or crab meat and shrimp.
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