Crab Quiche Recipe

Sharing is caring!

This Crab quiche is a savory recipe that combines a flaky pastry pie crust with a rich and creamy filling made from eggs, cream, crab meat, and vegetables. Serve this seafood lovers dish for brunch or lunch.

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure here.

What is Quiche?

Quiche is baked in a pie dish or tart pan and is often served as a brunch or lunch dish. The crust is made from butter, flour, and salt. To keep it simple grab a frozen pie crust from the grocery store. The filling is a custard made from eggs, milk, spices, and herbs.

In this version, crab meat is the main ingredient. It’s mixed in with the custard and spread over the crust. From here I like to add cheese, onions, and peppers for ultimate flavor and then bake it all to perfection.

What Type of Crab to Use/Lump Real Crab Meat vs Imitation Crab

Imitation crab is also known as surimi. It’s a seafood product that is made from ground pollock fish and mixed with starch, egg whites, and flavorings. The mixture is then shaped and dyed to have the same color as real crab meat.

Imitation crabmeat is a processed food and contains preservatives, artificial colors, and other ingredients. Also, it is usually high in sodium and low in nutrients. Be sure to check your labels and read the ingredients if you plan to use it.

Real crab meat is meat that is taken from the body of a crab. It comes from blue crab, king crab, or Dungeness crab. Real crab meat can be sold as whole cooked crab or as chunks or pieces of meat. Check out our post, What is Lump Crab Meat.

Real crabmeat has a delicate, sweet flavor and a tender, moist texture. It is considered a delicacy and is low in fat and high in protein.

Where to Buy Real Lump Crab

I like to grab jumbo, lump crab. You can find it at most grocers in the refrigerated section of the store. Costco sells it in 16oz bulk. You can also find crab claw meat.

Can You Add Other Seafood?

Yes, I often add shrimp. Scallops, lobster, or fish will also work well.

How to Make Crab Quiche

Full detailed instructions are below in the recipe card.

1. Unroll the crust into a 9-inch pie plate.
2. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pie crust and set aside.
3. Combine eggs, cream, and almond milk in a large bowl.
4. Heat a skillet on medium-high heat and add in olive oil, red peppers, onions, and green peppers. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
5. Remove the vegetables from the skillet and add them to the bowl with eggs and milk.
6. Add in lump crab, shrimp, and cheese. Stir to combine.
7. Pour the egg and seafood filling over the pie crust.
8. Bake.

Blind Bake Pie Crust

Blind baking is also known as pre-baking. It’s a method used to pre-cook the crust of a pie before adding the filling. It’s necessary for this dish because the filling requires a shorter baking time than the crust.

To blind-bake a pie crust, you will need to line the crust with parchment paper and then fill with pie weights (see below) or dried beans. This helps the crust keep its shape while baking.

Once the crust has been blind-baked, it is removed from the oven and the weights or beans are removed.

This step is important if you are looking for a tender and flaky crust. Skipping this step will result in a soggy crust.

Pie Weights

Pie weights are small weights that are used for pre baking a pie crust. The weights are placed inside the crust before baking to prevent the crust from puffing up or shrinking. They also help to keep the crust from developing any air pockets or bubbles.

Pie weights are typically made from ceramic, stainless steel or metal beads. Dry beans are a great substitute. That’s what I use!

Oven Temperature

Start with baking the quiche at 350 degrees, you will then adjust the heat to 300 degrees after it has baked for 20 minutes.

Cook Time and How Long to Bake

After you have blind baked the crust, you will need to bake the quiche for 20 minutes on 350 degrees, lower the temperature to 300 and bake again for another 15-30 minutes.

How to Tell When the Quiche has Finished Baking

You want to bake the quiche until the edges are set, but the middle jiggles a bit. You can also tell when the center is set and the crust is golden brown. You can insert a knife or toothpick into the center of the quiche. If it comes out clean, the quiche is done.

The quiche will continue to set in the middle as it cools.

Check out Tips on How to Make Better Quiche here.

Ideas for Additional Filling Ingredients

• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Mushrooms
• Cooked Potatoes
• Carrots

More Seafood Breakfast Recipes

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

More Crab Recipes

Grilled King Crab Legs
Seafood Pasta Salad with Crab and Shrimp
Lump Crab Salad with Real Crab Meat
Grilled Snow Crab Legs
Creamy Crab Bisque
Crab Risotto

Crab Quiche Recipe

This Crab Quiche is a savory recipe that combines a flaky pastry pie crust with a rich and creamy filling made from eggs, cream, crab meat, and vegetables. Serve this seafood lovers dish for brunch or lunch.

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, brunch, lunch

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Calories 291 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup milk Any milk will work.
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1/4 cup chopped green peppers
• 1/4 cup chopped red peppers
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
• 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning I used Old Bay Seasoning.
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 sheet refrigerated pie crust See notes for how to make your own crust.
• 8 oz lump crab meat
• 8 oz raw shrimp (optional) Peeled and deveined. I like to cut it up into chunks.

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Unroll the crust into a 9 inch pie plate. Cover the pie crust with parchment paper and load pie weights or dry beans over the paper and pie plate. This will anchor the crust as it bakes. See notes.
• Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pie crust and set aside.
• Combine the eggs, cream, and milk in a large bowl.
• Heat a skillet on medium-high heat and add in the olive oil, red peppers, onions, and green peppers. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions are translucent and fragrant.
• Remove the vegetables from the skillet and add them to the bowl with the eggs and milk.
• Add in the lump crab, shrimp, and both of the cheeses. Stir to combine.
• Pour the egg and seafood filling over the pie crust.
• Bake for 20 minutes.
• Adjust the temperature to 300 degrees and bake an additional 15-30 minutes until the quiche has set. The edges should appear firm and there should be a slight jiggle in the center of the quiche. Add additional bake time if necessary.
• Allow the quiche to cool for at least 20 minutes prior to slicing. If you slice too soon it’s likely to fall apart.

Notes

Any milk will work for this recipe. I use unsweetened almond milk.

Half and half can be substituted for heavy whipping cream, but it will alter the texture of the quiche. Heavy cream is great for thickening.

If you prefer to make homemade pie crust, check out this recipe.

If you pour the egg filling into an unbaked crust, the liquid will seep into the crust, which will prevent it from crisping up. If you want a crisp crust you will have to bake it first and you will need to use pie weights or dry beans to anchor parchment paper into the crust.

If you don’t blind bake the crust it will result in a crust that is soft and not crisp.

Bake the quiche until the edges are set, but the middle jiggles a bit.  The quiche will continue to set in the middle as it cools.

If your quiche falls apart: it wasn’t baked long enough, your ingredients (like seafood) weren’t dried and were watery, or you didn’t blind bake the crust long enough. 

You don’t need to poke holes in the crust because the egg mixture will leak.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 291kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 14gFat: 17g

Keyword crab meat quiche, crab quiche, how to make crab quiche

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!