Crab Croque-Madame
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Unsalted butter
- 6slices rustic country bread, about ½ inch thick, or day-old white bread, sliced ¾ inch thick
- 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2cups whole milk, heated
- Salt and pepper
- Pinch of grated nutmeg
- ¼cup crème fraîche
- 1pound cooked crab meat
- 1teaspoon paprika
- Pinch of cayenne
- Pinch of smoked Spanish pimentón dulce or chipotle powder
- ½teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2tablespoons snipped chives, plus more for garnish
- 1teaspoon chopped tarragon
- 6thin slices ham or prosciutto cotto
- 4ounces grated white Cheddar or Gruyère cheese, about 1½ cups
- 6small eggs
- 1tablespoon chopped parsley, for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
405 calories; 21 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 31 grams protein; 912 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly butter both sides of each bread slice. Add slices to pan and let sizzle until crisp and golden on each side, working in batches if necessary. Place browned slices in one layer on a baking sheet and set aside.
- Step 2
Make the béchamel: Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and let cook for 1 minute without coloring. Whisk in milk, then turn heat to low and continue cooking. Adjust heat to keep sauce at a bare simmer, whisking occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until smooth and medium-thick. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir in crème fraîche. Set aside and keep warm.
- Step 3
Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine crab meat, paprika, cayenne, pimentón, lemon zest and mustard. Add ½ cup warm béchamel sauce, the chives and the tarragon and stir well to combine.
- Step 4
Put one thin slice of ham on each slice of grilled bread. Mound crab mixture onto each toast, dividing evenly among the 6 slices.
- Step 5
Spoon remaining béchamel sauce evenly over crab mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Place baking sheet on top shelf in oven and bake for 10 minutes, until bubbling and well browned.
- Step 6
Meanwhile, cook eggs sunny side up in a small amount of melted butter. To serve, top each crab toast with an egg. Sprinkle with chives and parsley.
Private Notes
Comments
"Why is it madame when it has an egg? No one knows." I do: because it has an egg!
It's simply called a madame because a monsieur can not "produce or carry" an egg. :)
As a home cook, I have two suggestions: the choice of crab is important (buy the crab meat rather than crab claws) and you'll want to eyeball your béchamel. This recipe makes it a bit thin (my opinion), so consider adding flour and butter by the teaspoon until it reaches the desired consistency rather than risk cooking too long. Don't be shy about letting the bread soak it up as you spoon it on.
I skipped the bechamel and added sliced avocado instead. Insanely good and easy, as long as you have the crab.
This tastes really good with pickled radish/cucumber on the side. I used canned crab, and it turned out fine. I didn’t have nutmeg, so I substituted cinnamon; assembled together it gave the meal a more sweeter note, which I liked. I thought the bechamel was going to be thicker but was actually quite thin, so trust how it looks. Though, I used thinner cut bread, so the balance was a little off (but still good!). So maybe it works out with thicker cut bread.
Hugely filling. Bechamel was indeed thin, as someone noted below. As my crab was chilled, 10 minutes in the oven didn't bring it up to temperature. It was nice, but I wouldn't bother making it again, for the money.