« Recipes Home

Crab & Pear Taj Mahal

This recipe was the 3rd place winner of the 1986 Crab Cooking Contest in Crisfield, MD.

Credited to Elaine Walker of Crisfield, MD.

• 3 large, firm pears
• 7/8 cup of mayonnaise (1 cup less 1 Tablespoon)
• 1 large egg yolk
• 6 ounces of jumbo lump crab meat
• ¼ cup of peeled and seeded cucumber
• 3 scallions sliced thin and minced
• 1 teaspoon of minced, fresh ginger
• Pinch of salt
• ¾ cup of fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons of curry powder
• Pinch of pepper
• Paprika sprinkled on top for decoration
• Parsley for decoration

Peel the pears, slice in half lengthwise, and remove core from the center. Poach with lemon juice until pears are barely tender. Let cool for five minutes.

In a bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, egg yolk, curry powder, salt and pepper.

In another bowl, combine the crab meat, cucumbers, scallions and the ginger root. Carefully fold in half of the mayonnaise mixture so as not to break up the crab meat.

Fill pears with the crab mixture. Bake in a low-sided pan at 350 degrees until crab starts to brown on top. Sprinkle with paprika and serve garnished with parsley and extra mayonnaise on the side.