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The Ingenuity of Lowcountry’s Deviled Crab
Deviling bolsters smaller pieces of blue crab with mayonnaise, bread crumbs, sautéed aromatics, plus a kick of cayenne.
![In an overhead photograph, seven deviled crabs are shown in a cast-iron skillet on a wood table.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/06/26/multimedia/26Deviled-Crabs-qzbw/14Deviled-Crabs-qzbw-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)
Growing up on Hilton Head Island, S.C., Andrew Carmines loved visiting nearby Singleton Beach for its promise of deviled crabs, a cousin to crab cakes that originated here in the South Carolina Lowcountry, served from a seaside shack.
But while crab cakes highlight large, delicate lumps of blue crab, deviled crab stretches smaller, fishier bits of claw and body meat into a filling appetizer or entree with mayonnaise, bread crumbs, sautéed onions and garlic and a hit of cayenne.
Recipe: Deviled Crab Backs
“It was a way to utilize part of the crab that was less desirable,” said Mr. Carmines, adding that the legs and claws stand up better to more aggressive seasoning.
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