Have You Ever Had A Crab Muffin?
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I had never had a crab muffin till insanity struck earlier today as I prepared to make cheese, corn and bacon muffins like my friend Petra makes. The story behind those muffins is a long one but to sum it up, Petra made these delicious savoury muffins for a toy-clean up session at our local playgroup a couple of years ago. It was the first time I had met her and she stuck in my head, mainly because she is a lovely lady but also because she introduced me to the wonderful world of savoury muffins. Believe it or not, I had only sampled sweet and gooey muffins right up till that day.
After I got back home that day, I had to try the muffins out. I just had to. So I did and began a month long obsession of whipping up savoury muffins of all kinds. A few years passed and every time I made a savoury muffin, I thought of Petra. I find it amazing how some people touch your lives by the simplest acts and gestures and never realise it. Earlier this year, I regrouped with her because both our first borns go to school together and we remnicised about her corn muffins. Turned out, we had both stopped making them as everyday life took over. Today, after discovering can after can of creamed corn and corn kernels in the pantry [It clearly showed my intention to make those muffins week after week], I decided to make them. After whipping up a huge pot of sweetcorn chowder for dinner, it was revealed that I didn’t have enough corn for the muffins. But I was determined to make them. Rummaging in my pantry, I came across a can of crab meat and the rest is history.
I don’t believe I have ever come across a recipe of a crab muffin in any book or magazine, so I thought I’d share this one. It also gave me a chance to test out my square muffin pan and the muffins were just delicious.
CRAB MUFFINS
Preparation Time – 20 minutes | Baking Time – 20 minutes | Makes 12 large muffins
Ingredients
1/2 cup polenta
1/2 cup milk
4 bacon rashers, rind removed, chopped fine
4 green onions, chopped fine
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 tablespoon caster sugar
250g can corn kernels, drained
170g crab meat, drained
100g butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1/4 cup coarsely grated cheddar cheese
a pinch of salt
1 tsp dill
1 tsp olive oil
Method
Place polenta in a large bowl and top up with milk. Set aside for 10-15 minutes. Preheat oven to 200°C. Spray a 12-hole muffin pan with oil and set aside.
Cook bacon in a teaspoon of olive oil on medium heat for 5 minutes until brown and crispy. Remove from heat and stir in the onions.
On top of the polenta mixture, add the flour, sugar, salt, corn kernels, crab meat, butter, eggs, bacon mixture, cheese and dill. With a wooden spoon and a light hand, gently mix till lumpy and just combined.
Spoon batter in the prepared muffin pan. Bake for 20 minutes until risen and golden. Serve with sauce of your choice and salad. Best eaten straight from the oven.
ive never had a crab muffin and now im so curious i gotta make em this weekend!
chocolatesuze´s last [type] ..Christmas in July – Löwenbräu Keller- The Rocks 9
Good luck! If you notice the ingredients, you’ll see that there is a lack of spice making these a tad on the bland side. But I found that it brings out the flavor of the crab, since it is such a delicate flavor to begin with.
Crab Muffins. Who would’ve thought! These would make great little morsels for a cocktail plate as well. Am planning on giving this recipe a go. Thanks for this, I love a good savoury muffin, but I’ve never thought (or seen) of crab.
Cheers
Anna
Anna Johnston´s last [type] ..FLYING THE FLAG FOR GEN Y CHEFS
Anna, Steph .. did anyone try making these? I’d love to know how they turned out.
Ooohh … savoury muffins … I really have to make them again! Thank you, for reminding me – and the crab muffins look delicious.
OMG i’ve never had one but now I really really want one!
That sounds like an interesting recipe–I might have to try it sometime.
How does the crab taste, though? I’m assuming you use raw crab. The baking process has no side effects or anything–i.e. the crab cooks properly?
Edmund Mokhtarian´s last [type] ..Sushiko
@Edmund I use a small tub of cooked crab meat from the cold section at the supermarket. I actually had a tasting at the Sydney Good Food & Wine Show a couple of years ago, where they explained the cooking and packaging technique, ensuring that the crab taste was absolutely fresh .. I have always loved the delicate flavour and texture of crab and try to use as little seasoning in crab dishes, to bring that out.
I have to try this recipe. Crab meat and corn..yum yum. Will let you know how it turns out.
Neelam´s last [type] ..Born to Eat Healthy
[...] try this Creole version from Epicurean. For more cake and less crab, it’s hard to beat these crab muffins from Cook Republic. Polenta, corn, and heaps of cheddar make these savory morsels addictive. Salivating over the idea [...]
I really need to make these. Wow.
These look great – would go down a treat in my lunchbox!
MelbaToat´s last [type] ..Parramatta Park Cafe- Parramatta
This recipe is a must try for me….it sounds fantastic!
Culinary Collage´s last [type] ..PORK CARNITAS