Recipe: Baked Crab Martinique (Parrot Cay)

Yields: 4-5 servings

Ingredients:
2 ounces onion
4 ounces fresh tomato
2 ounces red pepper
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
12 ounces lump blue crab
4 ounces bell ile crab meat
8 ounces fontina cheese (grated)
2 tablespoons sherri tio pepe
parsley (chopped)
tarragon (chopped)

Bechamel Sauce:
3 ounces butter
3 ounces flour
1/2 pint milk
1/4 pint cream
pinch ground nutmeg
1 whole bay leaf
2 whole cloves
1/2 onion
salt and pepper, to taste

Method of Preparation:

To make bechamel sauce, we need to infuse the cream and milk by heating with onion, clove and bay leaf.
Mix equal quantities of butter and flour to form a roux (thickener). Add small quantities of infused liquid to roux,whisking vigorously to ensure the sauce is smooth and keep adding milk until at the right consistency and the sauce is cooked out.

To prepare the crab dish, saute onion, peppers and tomatoes. Deglace the pan and reduce; add the mustard. Add the Bechamel and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the belle ile and stir in sauce, then fold in blue lump crab. Using a baking dish add enough cheese to cover bottom of the dish then add crab mix and finish off with grated cheese on top. Bake in the oven 350ºF until cheese is golden brown on top.

Serving suggestion serve with deep fried tortilla chips.