Best Macaroni And Cheese With Dungeness Crab Recipes

CRAB MACARONI & CHEESE

Crab Macaroni & Cheese image

This recipe is my mom's....I just added the crab :) Normally I put bacon or sausage in it, but decided on crab this last time since we had some fresh dungeness crab around. It was an experiment with the crab and it turned out really good! I used whole-grain rotini pasta (listed in the recipe), but just about any pasta would do. Also, I like to add sea salt to the water while the pasta is cooking. Adds a little more to the pasta (tip from a friend).

Provided by KBellon

Categories Macaroni And Cheese

Time 1h

Yield 4-6 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dungeness crabmeat, leave as chunky as possible
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can whole tomatoes (drained and each tomato quartered)
1 (13 1/4 ounce) box rotini pasta
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups cheese, shredded
salt
pepper

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare pasta, set aside.
In skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
Add onions and saute.
Whisk in flour (will get thick).
Start whisking in milk in small amounts until the sauce has a gravy-like consistency.
Stir in cheese (I used a three-cheese blend) until melted.
Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Add the tomatoes and crab meat.
Add (cooked) pasta to sauce and transfer to a 13 x 9 baking dish.
Bake for 30 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 722.7, Fat 28.1, SaturatedFat 16.9, Cholesterol 74.7, Sodium 582.2, Carbohydrate 90.9, Fiber 4.7, Sugar 5.9, Protein 26.7

DUNGENESS CRAB MAC AND CHEESE

Dungeness Crab Mac and Cheese image

THIS IS A TRULY DECADENT DISH, but you won't want to save it for special occasions. Adding another Pacific Northwest flavor to our classic mac and cheese was easy; the base is a cheese sauce made from flavorful crab stock, and cauliflower balances the sweet crab flavor.

Yield serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 19

Ingredients

6 ounces penne
1/2 pound cooked lump crabmeat, preferably Dungeness, rinsed and drained (1 1/2 cups)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup roughly chopped cauliflower
1 ear fresh corn, kernels removed, or 2/3 cup frozen corn kernels
3 tablespoons roughly chopped celery (about 1 rib)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon capers, drained
Dash of cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
Dash of turmeric
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups Crab Stock (page 232)
1 tablespoon pale dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces semihard cheese (page 23), shredded (1 1/4 cups)
1 ounce hard cheese (page 23), chopped (3 tablespoons)
3 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs

Steps:

Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil an 8-inch baking dish.
Cook the penne 2 minutes less than package directions. (It will finish cooking in the oven.) Rinse the pasta in cold water and set aside.
Put the crabmeat in a large bowl and pick through it with your hands, removing any pieces of shell.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the cauliflower and cook for 1 minute without stirring. The cauliflower will just begin to brown on the bottom. Flip the cauliflower, add the corn, celery, and salt, and sauté for another minute. Transfer the vegetables to a small bowl.
In the same pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the capers and sauté until they are brown, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cayenne, chili powder, and turmeric. Stir to combine. Gently fold in the crabmeat until it is fully coated. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
In the same skillet, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to create a roux. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, and then slowly whisk in the stock. Continue whisking until fully combined, about 30 seconds. Add the sherry, tarragon, and pepper and stir. Remove from the heat and stir in the semihard cheese until it is completely melted, about 30 seconds. Mix in the pasta, vegetables, and the hard cheese.
Very gently fold in all but 1/3 cup of the crabmeat. Pour the pasta into the baking dish and spread the reserved crabmeat over the top, pressing it slightly down into the mac and cheese. (If the crabmeat is left on top, it will dry out while it cooks.) Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the dish.
Bake for 50 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling around the edges and the internal temperature of the dish is 160°F. Let the mac and cheese sit for 15 minutes before serving.