Crab Meat Canapé
This is a dish for company or a special occasion. It is large enough for a luncheon entrée; it may also be served as an appetizer. The dish is well known by habitués of Galatoire's Restaurant on Bourbon Street, New Orleans.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Béchamel Sauce Louisiannaise
- Salt to taste
- White pepper to taste
- 1 small bunch green onions, chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp butter, room temperature
- 1 lb (about 0.5 kg) jumbo or regular-size fresh white lump crab meat (from the body only, not the claws)
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp fine breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp Parmesan cheese
- 4 slices toast
- 1 tsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Method
- Pick over crabmeat carefully with your fingers to assure the absence of crab shell. This is necessary.
- Sauté green onions in butter over medium heat until soft. Do not allow onions to brown.
- Add white lumpfish crab meat, then fold in béchamel sauce. When mixture begins to simmer, remove from heat and fold in beaten egg yolks.
- Refrigerate mixture for 10 minutes in order to form canapés. Or, let stay in refrigerator overnight until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (190 °C).
- Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese in a mixing bowl.
- Trim the ends of the toast. Place trimmed toast on a baking sheet and spoon refrigerated crabmeat mixture onto toast using an ice-cream scoop.
- Sprinkle canapés with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese mixture. Dot each canapé with soft butter.
- Bake canapés for 20 minutes.
- Garnish each serving with flat-leaf parsley and a wedge of lemon.