Deviled Crab

Deviled crab should be baked at a low temperature to a light brown color or fried in plenty of hot lard.

Put one-half pound of butter into a saucepan with one tablespoonful of flour, and cook together, stirring it continually to prevent its burning; add to it one large tumblerful of rich cream, one boiled soft onion mashed to a paste or pulp, a little grated nutmeg, and season with salt and cayenne pepper. Then put in the crab meat, enough to fill eight crab shells and a raw egg or two, stir all together well and cook until it begins to thicken, which will only take a few minutes; then pour it all on a flat dish and allow it to stand until cold. Now fill the back crab shells with the mixture, egg them over with a brush and cover with grated breadcrumbs or cracker dust. Place them in a bakingpan, put a small lump of butter on top of each, and bake in a slow oven to a light brown color, or fry them in plenty of hot lard.