Recipes

Crab-Stuffed Jalapeños

  • Serves

    serves 4

ANDRÉ BARANOWSKI

This dish is based on the crab-stuffed jalapeños found on menus throughout southeast Texas. We found that chilling the chiles after stuffing them makes them easier to coat with bread crumbs and fry.

Ingredients

  • 10–12 medium jalapeños
  • 1 tbsp. canola oil, plus more for frying
  • 14 lb. lump crab meat, picked through to remove any bits of shell
  • 3 tbsp. cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro leaves
  • 1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley leaves
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1 12 tbsp. plus 3/4 cup dried bread crumbs
  • 2 tsp. fresh lime juice
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 12 cup all-purpose flour
  • 12 cup milk
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 14 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

Instructions

Step 1

Heat oven to broil; arrange a rack 6" from heating element. In a small bowl, toss jalapeños with 1 tbsp. oil. Transfer jalapeños to a foil-lined baking sheet; broil, turning several times, until blackened, about 12 minutes. Transfer jalapeños to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to let steam for 15 minutes. Peel the jalapeños. Working with 1 jalapeño at a time, cut a slit down the length of the pepper. Scoop out the seeds with a small spoon (handle carefully so that they stay intact). Set jalapeños aside.

Step 2

With a fork, vigorously mix together crab, cream cheese, cilantro, parsley, shallots, 1 1⁄2 tbsp. bread crumbs, lime juice, and yolk in a bowl. Stuff each jalapeño with 1 heaping tbsp. of filling; transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining jalapeños. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Step 3

Put remaining bread crumbs into a shallow dish. Put flour into another small dish. Whisk together milk and eggs in a bowl. Working with 1 jalapeño at a time, dredge jalapeño in flour, shaking off excess. Dip jalapeño in egg mixture, roll in bread crumbs, and transfer to a plate; set aside.

Step 4

Pour oil to a depth of 2" into a 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 325˚. Working in batches, add jalapeños and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain jalapeños on paper towels; sprinkle with salt.

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