Crab Meat Quiche

A plate of sliced crab quiche with chives and asparagus next to it. A glass of white wine and a pie dish with more quiche are in the background.

5 from 2 votes

This no-fail recipe uses my classic egg custard base and features tender lump crab meat with fresh asparagus and gruyère cheese.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Servings:

Calories: 534kcal

Author: Chef Molly Pisula

Ingredients

1 refrigerated pie crust 7 ounces
8 ounces fresh lump crab meat
2 large shallots about 3 ounces
8 ounces fresh asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 eggs
½ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh chives divided
2 ounces shredded gruyere cheese about ½ cup

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° F, and place the baking rack on the bottom slot of your oven.
Unroll your pie crust and press it gently into a 9-inch pie plate or tart pan. Either tuck in any excess crust and crimp with a fork, or use your fingers to make a decorative border. To make the border, pinch the dough between the pointer finger of one hand and the thumb and pointer of the other hand as you move around the circle.
Next, use a fork to prick the crust all over the bottom—this will make sure the bottom doesn’t puff up as it bakes. Line the crust with parchment paper or aluminum foil and cover with pie weights, uncooked rice, or dried beans. Bake on the bottom oven rack for 20 minutes, then remove the parchment and weights. The edges of the crust should be golden, but the bottom will still look a little raw. Bake for an additional 3-5 minutes, until the bottom dough no longer looks raw.
Meanwhile, while the crust is baking, clean the crab meat. Rinse crab, pick out any shell fragments, and squeeze dry.
Peel and thinly slice shallots.
Rinse asparagus, pat dry, and trim the bottoms. Cut asparagus stalks into 1–2-inch chunks.
Then heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallot slices and asparagus chunks. Sauté shallots and asparagus for 5-7 minutes, until softened and lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
In a different medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, mustard, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons chives.
When the asparagus and shallots have cooled slightly, stir the crabmeat and all but 2 tablespoons of the shredded cheese into the skillet.
When crust has been removed from oven, spread the shallot/asparagus/crab/cheese mixture over the crust. Pour in the egg mixture, then sprinkle with the reserved shredded cheese.
Put back into the oven and bake for 23-28 minutes on the bottom oven rack. The egg custard should be cooked through and golden brown on the edges. The filling should be just set—if it jiggles when you touch the pan, it’s not done.
Let cool, then garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons chives. Serve either warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Storage Tips:

Store any leftover quiche in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To freeze, let the quiche cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil. I like to freeze individual slices for easy single-serving lunches or dinners. Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours, before reheating.

Expert Tips:

Let it rest before slicing: Give your quiche at least 10–20 minutes to cool before slicing. This allows the custard to fully set, resulting in neater, cleaner slices.

Watch for crust shrinkage: Pie dough tends to shrink as it bakes. To prevent your filling from overflowing, make sure the crust extends about 1 cm above the edge of your pie or tart pan before blind baking—it’ll shrink to fit the pan perfectly as it cooks.

Take a shortcut: Want to make this even easier? Use a prebaked pie shell and just make the filling. If the edges on the prebaked shell look like they are browning too quickly when you put it in the oven with the filling, put some foil around them.

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