Last updated on June 24th, 2026
Looking for the Best Maryland Crab Imperial Recipe? You’re in the right place! I’ve crafted this easy recipe so you can enjoy this Maryland-style classic in no time!
Crab Imperial is a wonderfully rich, creamy crab dish, kinda like a crab casserole. It combines a rich and creamy sauce with delicious fresh crab meat. It’s baked with a breadcrumb topping to crisp it up, and served in individual pots.
So in this post, I’m going to give you the steps required for making this delicious crab dish. I’ll also share some expert tips, ingredient substitutions, and variations to make this recipe perfect for your taste!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Classic Maryland flavor
- Uses real lump crab meat
- Creamy but not too heavy
- Great for holidays or special dinners
- Can be served in ramekins, shells, or as a stuffing
My Traditional Maryland Crab Imperial Recipe
Just like with recipes for crab cakes (and mine happens to be the best!), recipes for crab imperial are aplenty!
But it took a bit of trial and error to get things perfect. I tried several variations of tried-and-true Maryland crab imperial recipes before getting this one just right.
I wanted something that was rich, but not too rich, and flavorful, but not overpowering. It had to live up to my husband’s idea of good (just typing that makes me feel like I’m a 50’s housewife)!
He grew up with his mom making the crab imperial on special occasions. My husband’s mom was an incredible home cook and everything she made was delicious.
So, I really wanted to bring back memories of his childhood through this classic recipe, straight from the Eastern Shore of Maryland! I can’t think of a better way to honor his mom.
Looking for the perfect Maryland drink to serve with Crab Imperial? Check out my guide to the Best Orange Crushes in Maryland, featuring some of the state’s most popular waterfront restaurants, beach bars, and local favorites.
Best Crab Meat for Crab Imperial
- Jumbo lump: best and prettiest, but pricey
- Lump: great balance of quality and cost
- Backfin: works, but more delicate and less showy
- Fresh Maryland Crab Meat: You just can’t get any better
- Avoid imitation crab for true Maryland Crab Imperial
What Ingredients Do I Need to Make Crab Imperial?
No need for fancy ingredients in this traditional Maryland recipe:
- Premium Lump Crabmeat: preferably from Maryland’s blue crabs (jumbo lump crab meat)
- Imperial Sauce Ingredients: 2% milk, mayonnaise, butter, and flour
- Unseasoned Bread Crumbs
- Dry Mustard
- Sliced Pimientos
- Old Bay Seasoning: or a fantastic Old Bay substitute, also made in Maryland!
For the full list of ingredients, be sure to check the recipe card below!
What is Imperial Sauce?
Imperial sauce is just a special white sauce really. My recipe uses a blend of 2% milk, mayonnaise, butter, and flour. If you’ve ever made a white sauce before, the steps are pretty similar, if not easier!
I recommend using good quality butter from grass-fed cows. And the mayonnaise has to be Hellman’s of course!
How To Make Crab Imperial
Just follow these simple steps to make this Crab Imperial with Old Bay:
Step 1: Prepare the Crab Imperial Sauce
How do I make the imperial sauce? It’s easy!
First you need to melt the butter in a large saucepan on medium heat.
Once melted, add the flour and milk then whisk until nice and smooth.
Keep the sauce mixture on a low to medium heat while stirring. After about 7 minutes, it should turn to a golden, sand-like color and thicken up.
Now let it cool slightly before adding any more ingredients.
Step 2: Mix Ingredients Into the White Sauce
Transfer your imperial mixture to a large mixing bowl, then add in the main ingredient, the pound of crab meat!
Also add the pimientos, mayonnaise (3 tablespoons or a little less than one quarter of a cup mayonnaise), dry mustard, and beaten egg.
After that, carefully mix until it’s well blended. But try not to break up the crab meat too much.
Expert Tip: Now let the mixture sit a little while, 12 minutes or so, to combine nicely. This helps firm it up a little so it’s not too loose.
Step 3: Spoon Crab Mixture Into Individual Baking Dishes or Shells
This is one of the mistakes I made the first time I made the other crab imperial recipe. I didn’t have baking dishes for individual portions, so I put the entire recipe into one big casserole dish!
For some reason, making it in one big baking dish just isn’t the same as having your very own dish of amazing crab imperial sitting in front of you.
Traditionally, crab imperial is served in individual shells like these aluminum crab shells or natural scallop shells. These work well when you’re serving smaller portions as an appetizer.
But I prefer things a little bigger, so I use these individual ramekins. This set of 4 mini cocotte casserole dishes from Amazon! They’re just the right portion size.
Step 4: Sprinkle Bread Crumbs & Old Bay Seasoning
I used very fine bread crumbs and it turned out great! You can use larger home-made bread crumbs if you want.
My husband thinks that his Mom might have even just cut up pieces of bread to place on top of each serving, which sounds really good!
Step 5: Add Very Thin Pats of Butter to Cover Each Dish
The butter is important because it will crisp up the bread crumbs while baking.
But you don’t need a lot of butter, so make the slices as thin as possible to cover all of the bread crumbs.
Step 6: Bake in the Oven
Now it’s time to bake your delectable creations in the oven.
I baked them in a 350 degree F oven for 15 minutes and then another 4 minutes on broil in order to brown the tops.
Expert Tip: Be sure to keep a close eye on them. You don’t want the bread crumb mixture to burn!
How it Tastes
So, I made this before my husband got home in order to take advantage of the natural light from the beautiful day. Not gonna lie, I took a bite….and then another bite….and then another.
Luckily I made 4 portions and there are only 3 of us humans in this household. Sorry Sarge, (my dog) but you can’t have the 4th one!
The taste of the crab combined with the other ingredients is amazing! This crab imperial is now one of my favorite recipes!
The white sauce was just the right amount of creaminess. In addition, the crab imperial topping of buttery bread crumbs was crisped up perfectly to a golden brown color.
The dry mustard was just enough to add that extra layer of spice to the dish. And the sliced pimientos (which I cut up into smaller pieces) are just the right amount of texture along with the lump crab meat.
Serve this crab imperial with some baguette slices and you’ve got yourself a ta-die-for meal.
Expert Crab Imperial Tips
- Aim for an internal temp of 165F to make sure the egg is cooked properly. I always check everything with a handy temperature probe.
- Don’t buy the pimientos already diced. To me, already diced pimientos are basically like tiny skins from the pepper and don’t have any substance. Sliced pimientos still have some texture to them even after you dice them
What Else Can I Add to Crab Imperial?
- Fresh lemon juice
- Parmesan cheese lightly sprinkled on top
- Worcestershire Sauce
Substitutions
- Pimientos: Chopped red bell peppers, green bell peppers, sautéed peppers instead of pimientos
- Old Bay Seasoning: Cayenne pepper, red pepper, or other seafood seasoning instead of Old Bay Seasoning
- Breadcrumbs: Bread cubes, crushed up Ritz Crackers or other cracker crumbs instead of breadcrumbs
- Jumbo Lump Crab Meat: You can use a different type of crabmeat like backfin crab meat, but it’s finer in texture and not quite as delectable
- Black Pepper: White Pepper instead of black pepper
Last but not least, the Old Bay Seasoning is the perfect accompaniment to this recipe.
No, I’m not in a partnership with Old Bay for singing their praises in all of my seafood recipes. Although, I wish that I was!
Crab meat and Old Bay Seasoning just go together like chocolate and peanut butter.
Maryland Crab Imperial Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 3 tbsp Flour
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 lb Crab Meat, Lump
- 1 Egg, beaten
- ½ cup Pimiento, diced , Buy it sliced and dice it yourself
- 3 tbsp Mayonnaise
- 1 tsp Dry Mustard
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- Old Bay Seasoning, to taste
- ½ cup Bread Crumbs or Sliced Bread broken up into small pieces
- Butter, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Add butter, flour, and milk to a sauce pan and heat over medium heat, while stirring, until it's well blended and thickens. Allow to cool slightly.
- Transfer your white sauce to a large bowl and mix in the crab meat, beaten egg, pimiento, mayonnaise, dry mustard, salt & pepper.
- Place mixture into 4 crab shells, scallop shells, or individual baking dishes.
- Sprinkle equal amounts of bread crumbs, Old Bay Seasoning, & thin slices of butter to cover the tops of each serving.
- Bake in 350 degree fahrenheit oven for approximately 15 minutes. Then turn your oven on broil for 3 to 4 minutes, while keeping a close eye on them, to brown the tops.
What Else Can I Do With Crab Imperial?
You might notice that Crab Imperial is quite the versatile mix.
Use it to stuff mushrooms, shrimp, or even lobster! And you can also turn it into a Hot Crab Dip.
Frequently Asked Questions About Maryland Crab Imperial
Yes! You can assemble Crab Imperial up to 24 hours in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to serve, simply add the breadcrumbs, butter, and Old Bay Seasoning before baking.
Yes, Crab Imperial freezes well before baking. Assemble the dish, cover tightly, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking as directed. For best texture, use fresh lump crab meat whenever possible.
Crab Imperial should reach an internal temperature of 165°F. I recommend using an instant-read thermometer to ensure it’s fully heated while keeping the crab meat tender and moist.
Crab Imperial pairs beautifully with roasted asparagus, green beans, a simple salad, rice, or crusty bread. For a true Maryland-style meal, serve it with an Orange Crush and a side of roasted potatoes.
Not quite. Both dishes contain crab meat and a creamy sauce, but Crab Imperial is traditionally served as a baked entrée or appetizer in individual dishes or shells. Crab dip is typically creamier and designed for scooping with crackers, bread, or vegetables.
More Maryland Crab Recipes You’ll Love
For more amazingly delicious, traditional Maryland, easy crab recipes, click on over to:
- Maryland Deviled Eggs with Crab and Old Bay Seasoning
- Crab Cake Recipe
- Maryland Crab Pizza
- Crab Stuffed Salmon Recipe
- Maryland Hot Crab Dip
- Grand Prize Maryland Cream of Crab Soup
- Maryland Crab Soup
- Baked Crab Casserole Recipe
- Maryland Crab Fries Recipe
Looking for more Maryland classics? Check out my guide to the most iconic Maryland foods and drinks every Marylander should try.
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