Corn, crab and Old Bay are the flavor of summer. Pop them in these Easy Deviled Eggs and you’ve got your next favorite picnic or BBQ recipe!
My aunt, uncle, and cousins live in the Maryland/Washington, DC area and I used to visit them from time to time growing up. One of the strongest food memories I have from our visits was a giant crab boil.
They cook crab and corn together in a large pot and generously season everything with Old Bay seasoning. The contents of the entire pot were emptied onto newspaper in the center of our table and we dug into it, making a huge mess in the process but having great fun.
What is Old Bay Spice?
If you’ve never had Old Bay before, it’s a combination of Celery salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and paprika, along with some other herbs and spices. It’s fairly popular in Maryland and New England, along with the southern states.
It’s used on shellfish like crab and shrimp, and anything and everything that could use a pinch of salt, like seafood chowder, tater tots, corn on the cob, and potato chips. I actually pour it over my fries and even occasionally add it to shrimp spring rolls for a New England twist!
The best crab meat
I highly recommend that you purchase crab meat in chunks from the seafood counter at your local grocery store. Ask them to add some large chunks of crab meat for you to garnish the eggs with.
I do not recommend substituting imitation crabmeat for this recipe. The taste, texture, and neon red color just don’t go with this recipe.
A word about the corn
You can use fresh, frozen, or canned corn, which means you can make this recipe year-round!
When corn is in season, you should grill it. This creates a little smoky char on the grains. The smoky flavor goes really well with the Old Bay spices and other ingredients.
If you use frozen corn or canned corn, You can also cook it up in a clean and dry non-stick pan to give it some charcoal and color! Cook the corn kernels over high heat, stirring or shaking the pan constantly, until the kernels begin to darken. Then take them off the heat.
The corn doesn’t have the same powerful smoky flavor that it gets from a good grill, but it does have a slightly charred flavor compared to corn used straight from the can or the frozen bag.
Tips on how to prepare and eat these deviled eggs
- You can make these eggs up to 24 hours in advance if the crab meat is very fresh!
- If not, you can make the egg filling up to two days ahead, but without the crab meat. Simply store the filling in a bowl with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface of the egg filling (to prevent crusting). Once you have the crab meat, simply stir in the portion you’ll be using for the filling and continue with the recipe.
- Store the filling in a resealable plastic bag so you can pipe it into the egg whites (simply cut off the corner of the bag to pipe the filling into the eggs).
- Once the eggs are assembled, they should be eaten during the day.
- This recipe can easily be doubled.
Here are more Deviled Eggs recipes to try!
- devil eggs
- Eggs of the Green Goddess Deviled
- Deviled Eggs with Sour Cream and Bacon
- Buffalo Blue Cheese Deviled Eggs
- Eggs with guacamole devil
Corn, Crab, and Old Bay Deviled Eggs
If you don’t have Old Bay, You can make your own by combining 1 tablespoon celery salt, 1 tablespoon ground bay leaves, 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard. Mix all ingredients together and store in a clean container indefinitely. Use it as a direct 1:1 substitute for Old Bay in this recipe.
ingredients
-
6 large eggs
-
4 ounces lump crab meat
-
1/4 cup mayonnaise
-
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
-
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
-
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
-
1/4 cup cooked corn kernels, frozen, canned, or fresh off the cob (about 1/2 medium cob)
method
-
Hard boil eggs:
To hard boil the eggs and ensure you can easily remove the shell, you can either steam them on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker. (You can also cook your eggs using the traditional cooking method, but the results aren’t always easy to peel.)
-
Select crab nuggets for garnish:
Search the crab meat and find 12 decent sized chunks of meat. Set aside and place on top of the eggs to garnish.
-
Prepare filling:
Peel the eggs and cut in half lengthways. Using a spoon, scoop the yolks into a medium bowl. Add mayonnaise, mustard, Old Bay seasoning, and remaining crab meat to bowl. Also add most of the chopped parsley, reserving just a tiny bit (about 1/2 teaspoon) to garnish the tops of the eggs. Mix the ingredients together, then stir in the corn kernels.
-
Fill egg white:
Arrange the egg whites on a serving plate. For easy filling, place the mixture in a resealable bag, cut off the corner and pipe the filling into each egg white half. Otherwise, spoon the filling into the egg whites.
-
Garnish and serve:
Garnish the top of each filled egg with a piece of the reserved crabmeat, then sprinkle the reserved parsley over the top of the eggs. Sprinkle with a little more Old Bay seasoning and serve.
