Maryland Crab Mac And Cheese Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Author Notes

The ultimate comfort food to take off the chill of an autumn evening, this dish is a “souped-up” version of a classic Maryland Crab Imperial, made all the more satisfying (read: decadent) with the addition of pasta, Fontina and prosciutto. Unlike Mac-n’-Cheese with cheddar, the base of the recipe is lighter in flavor: a Béchamel sauce -- the “mother sauce" of French cuisine. Sweat finely diced shallots in butter, add equal parts of flour to make a roux, then add warm milk (half and half) a touch of nutmeg and sherry and you’re on your way to serious yum! —Vivian Henoch

Test Kitchen Notes

This is a new fall standard for guests. I was initially skeptical, as I thought the mac and cheese would overwhelm the delicacy of the crab. However, Vivian Henoch has developed a subtle mac and cheese laced with nutmeg and sherry which complements the crab perfectly. For those of you who don’t eat red meat, good news: adding the prosciutto, while a nice finishing touch, can be totally optional. —minipanda

What You'll Need

Ingredients

• ¹/₄ cupbutter
  
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
  
• ¹/₄ cupflour
  
• 1 cuphalf-n-half (or milk)
  
• ¹/₂ cupchicken stock
  
• ¹/₂ cupFontina cheese, cubed
  
• 1 tablespoonsherry (or to taste)
  
• 1 teaspoonnutmeg
  
• 1 poundcrabmeat, preferably Maryland backfin
  
• 1 poundmacaroni, or pasta of choice
  
• 3 slices prosciutto
  
• 3 tablespoonspanko bread crumbs
  
• Sea salt and pepper to taste