The Bistro Fantasy: A Dreamy Crab Toast Experience

You know that dreamy café breakfast you picture when scrolling through NYT Cooking? Well, I do! I imagined soft-scrambled eggs, lightly roasted lemony asparagus, and buttery crab toast. All washed down with an orange-thyme mimosa. I woke up with high aspirations when I planned on making this recipe by Gabrielle Hamilton.

What I got was a soggy mess, overcooked eggs, over-spiced asparagus, and a husband who ate it anyway. What a champ!

Lessons Learned from My First Attempt

So, here’s the TL;DR version of my lessons on this recipe:

• Prepare the brown butter mayonnaise and crab ahead of time. Refrigerate, and allow to warm at room temperature for at least ½ hour before serving.

• Brown the butter and toast the bread like you mean it. Part of the beauty of the recipe is the rich buttery mayo on crusty bread.

• Go easy on the seasoning for the asparagus. A little lemon pepper and olive oil is all you need.

• Enjoy the process! With a little preparation, this is actually a fun and easy dish to make and even better to eat.

  
  

Version #1 was good enough – I mean, you can’t really mess up crab and asparagus. But the result was just a bunch of good ingredients rather than a breakfast that is greater than the sum of its parts.

First Attempt: What Went Wrong

“You can taste the stress in the dish.” - Me, while crab pieces are flying everywhere and the eggs are burning

I didn't even have a chance to take a good picture...

So, I did not make an Instagram-worthy dish on my first try, no question. But that doesn’t mean you can’t – just don’t make the same mistakes that I did:

• No proper mise en place. Don’t try to make homemade mayonnaise for the first time while cooking the eggs, shelling the crab, and more. My mayo emulsified (awesome!) but it remained a runny “sauce” rather than the magical spread that the recipe and many comments promised. However, if your mayo doesn’t set, you can use it as a sauce for the asparagus! (Quick note: the mayo does set later, and I used leftovers as the mayo base for my Easy Caesar Dressing.)

  
  

• The butter wasn't browned enough. I ran out of time to properly brown the butter, and the brown butter wasn’t fully browned – just a few sad specks. The homemade mayo was still good but not as rich, which didn’t make this dish all that it could be.

  
  

• Crab process was too complicated. Don’t try to shell the crab while you are cooking (what in the h-e-double-hockey-sticks was I thinking?!?!). I had planned to do everything at once and dethawed crab clusters while the butter was browning and had to shell in a rush – I only ended up with barely enough to cover one piece of toast before I ran out of time. The pieces were overly warm and limpid.

  
  

• Soggy, improperly toasted bread. The bread ended up being very soggy – especially since the sauce was runny and the crab was still a bit wet from being defrosted. Stressed and rushed, I only toasted one side of the bread.

  
  

• Heavy seasoning. Go light on the seasoning on the asparagus – I added paprika, garlic powder, salt, and lemon pepper with a heavy hand. The asparagus ended up overpowering the entire dish – the crab (and that brown butter mayonnaise) really should be the star of the show.

  
  

On top of everything else, I overcooked the eggs (stress and no mise en place), forgot the chives, and missed the opportunity for a good photo.

This ended up taking one very stressful and panicked hour. Even with the best recipes that are deceptively simple… mise en place and a little planning are key “ingredients.”

Redemption Arc: How to Make this Magical

My new method resulted in a 20-minute breakfast on the day of, with some preparation (making the mayo and shelling the crab legs the day or even 4 days before). By the third try, it was simple... and that’s when I finally got the best photo.

Here is the process that turned this into that breakfast that I dreamt about…

The Day Before (or 2 or 3 Days, It’ll Keep)

Prepare the Crab

(if using crab legs, about ½ hour if you are defrosting and shelling the crab)

The recipe just calls for “crab meat,” so don’t overcomplicate it. I like to use packaged crab for most of the mixture, then add a few bright-red leg or claw pieces on top for color and texture. Pick through the meat carefully for stray shells – they won’t ruin the flavor, but no one wants a surprise crunch. If using frozen legs, defrost and shell them ahead of time.

Make the Mayonnaise

(about 45 minutes total time, including ½ hour of cooling time)

Brown the butter slowly until it’s caramel-colored and nutty (about 8 minutes for me). Pour butter into a liquid measuring cup (scrape out the solids too) and let it cool for 30 minutes.

This was just brown enough - I probably could have gone a bit longer.

Don’t be intimidated – this part is easier than it sounds, especially with a food processor. Start by adding the egg, egg yolk, lemon juice, about 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, water, and salt to the bowl, then pulse a few times to combine.

With the motor running, slowly stream in the oil and the mixture should emulsify. Then pour in the brown butter gradually in the same way as the oil. Scrape any remaining solids into the bowl and pulse a few more times to fully incorporate. The mayo may seem runny at first, but it will thicken beautifully after a couple of hours in the fridge.

As you can see, it is still runny just after blending but don't worry - it will solidify!

(Shortcut: many cooks swear by stirring brown butter and lemon juice into store-bought mayo.)

Before Serving

With the mayo and crab prepared ahead of time, the rest is a breeze. It is so quick (minus warming the crab and mayo – this breakfast is ready in less than 20 minutes) and so easy that this would be in our regular rotation if it weren’t for the pure indulgence of this dish.

Don’t forget to pull out the crab and mayo before starting!

Prepare the Toast

(less than 10 minutes)

Gabrielle Hamilton’s recipe calls for bread that I don’t normally have around (pan Francese, black pumpernickel). I swapped these rustic bread options for brioche or French sandwich bread (a great use for those dreaded heels). Toast both sides until golden and sturdy – about 3 to 5 minutes at 425°F in the oven or just use a toaster if that’s easier.

Roast the Asparagus

(about 10-12 minutes)

Trim the tough ends off the asparagus – just bend each spear and it will naturally snap where it should. If you prefer, you can simply cut the ends with a knife.

Lay the asparagus in a single layer on a sheet tray, spray with olive oil, and sprinkle just a small amount of lemon pepper over the top. If you are not going to add parmesan cheese, you can sprinkle some kosher salt over the top as well.

Just a little bit of olive oil and lemon pepper is all you need!

Place in the 425°F oven (used to toast the bread) for about 8 minutes or until your desired doneness. I aim for slightly browned but still bright green asparagus – though even when I overcook them, they’re still tasty.

After pulling out of the oven, squeeze just a bit of lemon and grate parmesan cheese over the top.

Subtle flavors are the way to go!

Scramble the Eggs

(less than 10 minutes)

My method is somewhat controversial (I don’t go low and slow), but I find this to be the most “klutz”-proof version. Of course, you can make your eggs however you want (I bet that poached on top would be amazing!).

1. Heat a medium skillet on medium-high heat – once hot, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter, oil, bacon grease, or other fat.

   
   

2. Beat 4 eggs (and the remaining egg white from the brown butter mayo – if you have it), and about 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise (store-bought or the brown butter mayonnaise are fine) in a medium bowl until the egg mixture is fully incorporated and there is a bit of a fluffiness to the mixture (airer mixture = fluffier eggs).

   
   

3. Pour the eggs into the skillet and turn off the heat. Allow the eggs to set for about 1 minute then start mixing the eggs around. Sprinkle about ¼ cup of shredded cheddar cheese over the top (if desired). Stir and mix frequently, but not constantly, to create large, soft curds. Remove when at your desired texture and doneness.

   
   

Putting the Best Crab Toast Together

(less than 5 minutes)

Now comes the fun part – getting it ready to eat! To keep the toast from getting soggy, I recommend putting this together right before eating.

• Finely chop the chives.

  
  

• Mix the crab (reserving some leg and claw bits) with a dab of sour cream, cream, half-and-half, or crème fraîche and a squeeze of lemon juice (err on the side of very little – you don’t need much at all). Taste and adjust to your preference.

  
  

• Spread the brown butter mayonnaise evenly over each slice of bread and spread the crab mixture over the top. Garnish with the reserved crab pieces and chives, then enjoy!

  
  

Version #3...a vast improvement over my first try!

Analysis and Final Thoughts

This is an indulgent breakfast (cost and calorie-wise) but is simple with a bit of planning and a crowd-pleaser. I highly recommend this recipe as is, but I did make a couple of changes:

• Brown butter mayonnaise – I used vegetable oil instead of grapeseed oil just because it is cheaper and what I already have on hand. Really, any oil will do as long as you like the flavor. I also added just over a teaspoon of Dijon mustard because I panicked the first time and hoped that this would solidify the mayonnaise. I just liked the addition, so I did it every time after.

  
  

• Toast – as I already mentioned, I didn’t have the rustic breads required by the recipe. I just made sure to toast nicer-quality sandwich bread.

  
  

• Crab mixture – The recipe simply calls for “crab meat,” so don’t feel like you need to shell every leg. I like to use packaged crab for the bulk of the mixture, then add a few bright-red leg pieces on top for color and texture. I’ve also skipped the olive oil before (by accident!) and found it worked just fine. For extra richness, you can even stir a little brown butter mayo directly into the crab mixture.

  
  

• Chives – I ended up sprinkling on the eggs and the crab rather than mixing into the crab mixture.

  
  

If you love crab, this recipe is worth it. With a little prep, it’s one of the best things you’ll ever eat. Would you try this for brunch (or anytime of the day - really)? What would you change? Tell me your crab toast stories in the comments!