Skip to content

Robert St. John

Restaurateur, author, enthusiastic traveler, & world-class eater.

Crab Bread with Tomato Basil Concasse

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup Diced red peppers
1 tsp Dalt
1/4 tsp Black pepper, freshly ground

2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp flour

1/3 cup Hot chicken stock
2 Tbsp Sherry
1 tsp Lemon juice
1 Tbsp Hot sauce

1/2 pound Cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, grated
1/2 pound Fresh lump crab meat
2 Tbsp Parsley, chopped

1 French Baguette, 16-20 inches in length

Tomato Basil Concasse

1 1/2 cups Fresh Ripe Tomatoes, seeds removed, very small dice
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients.

Yield: 8 servings

Instructions

Crab Bread

Preheat oven to 375.

Melt the first tablespoon of butter in a small sauté pan over a medium heat. Add in the green onions, peppers, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter in a small sauté pan over a low heat. Stir in the flour to form a roux. Cook the roux for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, being careful not to burn the roux.
Whisk the hot stock, sherry and lemon juice into the roux mixture. Cook for 3-4 more minutes and remove from heat.

Place the softened cream cheese into an electric mixing bowl, and using the paddle attachment, beat it for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl using a rubber spatula, and then add the thickened stock mixture, peppers and onions and Swiss cheese. Blend until smooth.

Next gently fold in the crab and parsley using a rubber spatula.

Cut the baguette in half lengthwise and spread the crab mixture evenly over the bread.

Place the two halves on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for twenty minutes.
Remove the bread from the oven and allow cool for 3-4 minutes. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut 2” wide slices. Arrange slices on a serving dish and top each piece with a teaspoon of the tomato concasse mixture.

Tomato Basil Concasse

Combine all ingredients.

Yield: 8 servings

Recent Recipes

Stewed Squid

In a 2 quart sauce pan, heat the oil over medium and sweat the garlic and the crushed red pepper…

Read more

Cinnamon Cream Syrup

This pairs perfectly with Sweet Potato Pancakes. It may be better than the pancakes themselves (and they’re great). But try this recipe on regular pancakes, waffles, and French toast.

Read more

Sweet Potato Pancakes

I ate my first sweet potato pancake during my only visit to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. My family, along with another couple and their young children rented a cabin in the mountains during spring break. I woke every morning and headed into town for breakfast. I would imagine Gatlinburg has more pancake houses per capita than any place on the planet. My problem is that I never found a good-tasting pancake until I happened across sweet potato pancakes at one of the pancake houses. We serve a version of this recipe at The Midtowner. The Cinnamon Cream Syrup is a must.

Read more