“Breakfast Anytime” Crab Eggs Benedict

When it comes to the topic of breakfast for dinner, it seems there are two types of people. One says, “Breakfast is to be served only in the morning. Period.” The other says, “Breakfast? I love breakfast. Anytime.”I’ve developed a hearty “breakfast anytime” dish – crab eggs Benedict with an herbed Hollandaise — that I hope you’ll agree is a delicious meal, day or night.

Remember, “Always ‘Stay Legal,’ and never take more than you’ll eat.”

Hollandaise Ingredients:

  • 1.5 tbs. shallot (minced)
  • 3 tbs. white wine or champagne vinegar
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1/3 cup hot water
  • 1 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp. thyme (chopped)
  • ½ tsp. oregano (chopped)
  • ½ tsp. rosemary (chopped)
  • Juice from one lemon
  • Kosher salt and white pepper to taste

Eggs Benedict Ingredients:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1 11- ounce bag fresh baby spinach
  • 1 lb cooked crab meat
  • 1 loaf crusty bread (1-inch thick slices)
  • 8 eggs (poached)
  • Parsley for garnish
  1. Prepare the Hollandaise Sauce: Place the shallots and herbs in a small sauté pan and pour in the vinegar. Simmer over medium high heat for about 5 minutes, reducing until nearly dry. Set aside.
  2. Fill a medium saucepan about one-third with water and simmer over medium-low heat. Place a metal bowl over the pan; it should not touch the water.
  3. Add egg yolks to the heated bowl and whisk the egg yolks together. Lightly whisk in the hot water. Continue to whisk slowly, being careful to keep all the yolk mixture in the bottom of the bowl. Whisk until the yolks thicken, about 4 minutes. In a separate pan, melt the butter over medium heat; gently spoon off any frothy white solids that form on the top.
  4. Remove the yolk mixture from the heat and whisk in the shallot/herb reduction.
  5. Vigorously whisk the egg yolks while slowly pouring in the warm melted butter. Since this step almost requires three hands, try making a circle out of a rolled up towel to steady the bowl while doing the whisking.
  6. If the sauce is too thick, gradually whisk in a bit of hot water a spoonful at a time. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.
  7. Build the Benedict: In a medium saucepan, melt the stick of butter over low to medium heat; add the crab.
  8. While the crab is warming, poach the eggs. Set aside.
  9. In a sauté pan over medium heat add a couple teaspoons of butter from the crab pot and add the baby spinach. Slightly wilt the spinach. Remove from heat.
  10. Toast the bread.
  11. To assemble the dish, plate two pieces of toast per plate and top with a spoonful of wilted spinach. Add a heaping spoonful of crabmeat and one poached egg. Top with a couple generous spoonfuls of the hollandaise. Garnish and enjoy.

Pairing Suggestions

This dish goes well with a dry white or sparkling wine. Or try something different and pair it with a spicy Bloody Mary.

Dungeness Crab Info

Family: Cancridae

Genus and Species: Metacarcinus magister

Range: Extends from Alaska’s Aleutian Islands to Point Conception, near Santa Barbara and occasionally as far south as Baja California South, Mexico.

Habitat: a bottom-dweller, the Dungeness crab favors eelgrass beds.

Fishing Information: Recreational fishing of Dungeness crab is now allowed after an emergency closure of the recreational Dungeness crab recreational fishery by California health officials last November, when tests by the Department of Public Health showed levels of domoic acid, a potent biotoxin that is harmful to humans. Massive algae blooms, spurred by record warm temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, are to blame.