Powhatan Fritatta

Few things are more delicious and decadent for breakfast or brunch than the combination of crab and eggs.

While I’ve called this recipe for a crab and corn fritatta a Powhatan Fritatta in homage to the ancient Native American tribe of the Chesapeake Bay region, they would not have had a dish similar to this. It does, however, showcase some of their favorite ingredients: crab and corn.

Powhatan Fritatta
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Recipe type: Main
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4 -6
 
Powhatan Fritatta is rich and decadent, with a nice mix of sweetness from the crab and corn and piquancy from the Old Bay Seasoning - definitely the makings of a luscious weekend breakfast or brunch.
Ingredients
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 8 oz crab meat
  • ½ cup corn kernels
  • 4 eggs
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ½ cup shredded mild, white cheese (Monterey Jack, Havarti, Queso Fresco, or Fontina)
  • ¾ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F
  2. Sauté the onion in butter the onion and garlic until the onion is just clear. Add the crab meat, corn kernels and ⅓ (1/4 teaspoon) of the Old Bay Seasoning. Stir gently until combined and let cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  3. In a bowl whisk together the 4 eggs, 2 eggs, milk, and cream. Stir in the cheese, ¼ teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning, and crab mixture.
  4. Pour all into a lightly greased pie pan. Top with remaining ¼ teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning and freshly ground pepper and salt to taste.
  5. Bake until a knife inserted into the center of the frittata comes out clean, approximately 30 minutes.
Notes
Blue crab is the most "traditional" crab to use in this recipe but dungeness, king, or snow crab will work equally well. Use what you have available. You need the equivalent of 4 large eggs for this dish, but can easily replace any number of them with the appropriate amount of egg whites. You need ½ cup of dairy for this dish, but can adjust the fat content and richness of the dish by adjusting the proportions of milk and heavy cream. It can even be made with solely a ½ cup of skim milk. For an interesting variation replace the normal corn kernels with roasted whole kernel corn. It will lend a pleasant smokiness to the dish. For this I use Trader Joe's Roasted Corn rather than roasting my own.

Minchin quier! Wingutsee tuttascuc.
(Eat! The crab is good.)

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