Crab Mac & Cheese
This crab mac & cheese is one of my absolute favorites to make and one that’s commonly requested by my husband. It’s a creamy macaroni and cheese recipe that’s incredibly easy and requires only a smidge of patience. It features a creamy white cheddar cheese sauce flavored with fresh dill, parsley and Old Bay seasoning and has sweet chunks of lump crab meat in every bite!
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While I’m a Maryland transplant, my husband is a native to the DMV area and boy did I quickly learn that they love their crab! From seafood boils and crab cakes to king crab legs. So of course I had to to jump in on all the fun because lets face it, there’s just something irresistible about that “fresh catch” flavor that crab effortlessly offers up!
There’s been lots of discourse this year about the “right” way to make mac & cheese – to roux or not to roux? Eggs or no eggs? Well this crab mac & cheese chooses a third door – neither. The cheese are simply melted down in a cheese sauce before being tossed with the pasta for a luxuriously creamy pasta!
If you’re looking for more dinner recipes check out these savory staples including this classic mac & cheese recipe for those who are more old-fashioned.
key ingredients
Pasta. A pasta with a corkscrew shape is optimal for this recipe. It offers a greater surface area for the cheese sauce and hugs the chunks of lump crab meat. Cellentani, cavatappi, rotini & fusilli are all great options. If you opt for elbows, grab the ones with ridges.
Lump crab meat. Sweet crab meat taken mostly from the claws allowing for large chunks.
White cheddar. The white counterpart to standard cheddar cheese which is typically yellow. White cheddar is processed slightly differently and has a subtle nutty flavor.
Fontina. Used in this recipe mostly for its melting ability but also offers some relief to the sharp taste of cheddar and its sweet, nutty flavor.
Mild Yellow Cheddar. Great melting cheese
Evaporated milk. A sweeter milk than whole milk and makes a more stable cheese sauce.
Old Bay seasoning. A classic Maryland crab pairing for a reason – a blend of celery salt, paprika, red pepper and other spices
Fresh Herbs. Freshly chopped dill & parsley to invoke a “fresh catch” flavor to this crab mac & cheese.
tips for the best crab mac & cheese
Keep the heat low while making the cheese sauce. When cheese is heated too quickly and/or too far past its melting point, the proteins seize & firm while squeezing out moisture and fat. This results in a rubbery glop of cheese in a greasy & watery thin sauce.
To avoid this turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible on your stove before adding the cheese to the evaporated milk.
When boiling the pasta salt the water like the sea! Salt both flavors the pasta and helps to firm the proteins up while it cooks. In general, I use about 2 tablespoons of salt per pound of pasta.
Don’t add any oil to the pasta while it boils. When the pasta boils the starches absorb water and swell up, forming a thick paste on the outside of the pasta in the process. This paste is what creates a creamy texture in the mac & cheese and what causes the cheese cause to stick to the pasta.
Adding oil to your pasta water can create a slick layers on the pasta that prevents the cheese sauce from sticking and and marrying with the pasta.
To avoid pasta sticking together make sure to wait until the water is boiling before adding the pasta and then give it a quick stir.
Chop herbs finely. Fresh herbs release phytochemicals (responsible for their flavor & aroma) as they are damaged so chopping ensures the maximum release of flavor!
Place the cheese in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes before shredding. Firm cheese shreds more easily.
Also, you may notice that as cheese gets warm it starts to get a glossy sheen this is as a result of some of the fat leaching and as we discussed before, this is not optimal for our cheese sauce.
Don’t use pre-shredded cheese. Anti-caking agents coat pre-shredded cheese, affecting its melting evenness and creating a grainy texture in cheese sauces.
how do I reheat my mac & cheese so it’s not greasy?
As mentioned earlier, when cheese is heated to quickly or too much, the cheese starts to separate into a rubbery solid and grease. For this reason, any mac & cheese is best enjoyed right after preparation but there are some things you can do to reduce the amount of grease your macaroni and cheese leeches when it reheated.
- Steer clear of the microwave. The microwave will heat the cheese way too fast making it a recipe for disaster. In addition, microwaves do not heat evenly. Instead, opt for reheating in the oven covered at a low temperature (between 275 – 325°F). Alternatively, you can do this on stovetop, setting your burner to the lowest setting and covering the macaroni and cheese.
Skipping the microwave is less time intensive but will yield better results! - Add a couple tablespoons of milk to the pan of macaroni cheese. The milk will create steam as it heats which helps the cheese melt more evenly.
- Stir the crab mac & cheese once it is soft enough to move around. You’ll have to sacrifice the crisp cheese crust when you opt to reheat a mac & cheese. Stir to redistribute the cheese so that there are no hot or cold spots. You can also add a couple more tablespoons of milk at this stage as well!
how to make this crab mac & cheese
Step 1. Preheat oven to 400°F
Step 2. Shred the cheeses. Mix the extra sharp white cheddar and 8 ounces of the fontina cheese together in one bowl for the cheese sauce. Add the mild yellow cheddar and the remaining 8 ounces of the fontina to a separate bowl for layering the crab mac & cheese. Set both aside.
Step 3. Boil the pasta according to manufacturers instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside. Be sure not to cook the pasta all the way since it will continue to cook with the cheese sauce and again in the oven.
making the cheese sauce
Step 4. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add the evaporated milk, chopped dill, chopped parsley & Old Bay seasoning. Stir to incorporate and once the mixture comes to a gentle simmer immediately reduce the heat to the lowest setting.
Keeping the heat low prevents the cheese from separating into grease and a gluey mess. Your cheese sauce should never boil/bubble at any point.
Step 5. Add a third of the white cheddar/fontina mixture to the evaporated milk and stir until the cheese has completely melted. Add another third of the cheese mixture and repeat this step until all the white cheddar/fontina mixture has been added.
Adding the cheese a little at a time ensures even melting and avoids the cheese sauce seizing.
Make sure that the heat is kept really low. Do not increase it to melt the cheese faster as this could separate the cheese and cause it to seize.
Step 6. Add the boiled pasta and the lump crab meat to the cheese sauce and mix for 2-4 minutes. As you agitate the pasta, it will release some of its starch, thickening the sauce slightly and making it more cohesive.
layering the crab mac & cheese
Step 7. To a greased baking dish add a third of the pasta then top with a third of the fontina/mild yellow cheddar mixture set aside earlier. Repeat this twice more until everything has been used.
baking the crab mac & cheese
Step 8. Bake the assembled crab mac & cheese uncovered on the top rack of your oven at 400°F for 5-8 minutes until browned only. Do not allow the crab mac & cheese to bake for more than 10 minutes as the fat will start to separate from the cheese causing it to be oily instead of creamy.
Garnish with fresh parsley and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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Equipment
- 1 10 or 12-inch baking/casserole dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb cavatappi pasta
- 1 lb lump crab meat
- 20 oz extra sharp white cheddar cheese
- 16 oz fontina cheese
- 4 oz mild cheddar cheese
- 12 oz evaporated milk
- 1 TBSP dill leaves, chopped about 2 stems
- 1 ½ TBSP curly parsley leaves about 1 ½ stems plus extra for garnishing
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- butter for greasing pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Shred the cheeses. Mix the extra sharp white cheddar and 8 ounces of the fontina cheese together in one bowl for the cheese sauce. Add the mild yellow cheddar and the remaining 8 ounces of the fontina to a separate bowl for layering the crab mac & cheese. Set both aside.
- Boil the pasta according to manufacturers instructions until al dente.
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add the evaporated milk, chopped dill, chopped parsley & Old Bay seasoning. Stir to incorporate and once the mixture comes to a gentle simmer immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting.
- Add a third of the white cheddar/fontina mixture to the evaporated milk and stir until the cheese has completely melted. Add another third of the cheese mixture and repeat this step until all the white cheddar/fontina mixture has been added.
- Add the boiled pasta and the lump crab meat to the cheese sauce and mix for about 2-4 minutes to allow to thicken & for the cheese sauce to be more cohesive.
- To a greased baking dish add a third of the pasta then top with a third of the fontina/mild yellow cheddar mixture set aside earlier. Repeat this twice more until everything has been used.
- Bake the assembled crab mac & cheese uncovered on the top rack of your oven at 400°F for 5-8 minutes until browned only.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
