This crab pâté just couldn't be easier. It takes just a few minutes to mix all of the ingredients together and it's ready to serve.
Lightly spiced with Dijon mustard, paprika and Worcester to enhance the delicate crab flavour, this pâté is so simple and delicious.
Perfect as an elegant starter, lunch or snack this delectable crab spread can be made in advance until you are ready to eat.
Serve with toast, crusty baguette or some crackers for a luxurious treat. that is only 118 calories a portion too.
And, for the ultimate shortcut, this pâté uses tinned crab. This saves so much time and is more economical too.
Bon appétit!
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There is a huge variety of pâtés in French supermarkets and I had great fun trying them all!
There's nothing more French than a chunk of baguette, spread with a tasty pâté with a chunk of brie on the side, all washed down with a good French red wine.
But the good thing is that many pâtés and spreads are easy to make at home.
They are also very versatile. Perfectly portable for a picnic or served with melba toasts for an elegant starter.
This is a great idea for Christmas to serve before the main event or as part of a casual buffet on Boxing day or New Year.
Either way, this version won't break the bank or take more than a few minutes of your time.
❤️ Why you will love this dish
- Uses tinned crab for easy preparation.
- Budget friendly.
- Only 118 calories a serving.
- Made in 5 minutes.
- Enjoy as a starter, snack or lunch.
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🥘 Ingredients
- Crab - brown and white crab meat from a tin or fresh if you prefer. White crabmeat is normally packed in brine with a 145g tin having a drained weight of 100g. The white crab meat has a flaky tecture and delicate flavour and the brown crabmeat is much creamier with a stronger taste.
- Mustard - Dijon mustard as English mustard is too strong for the crab flavour.
- Lemon - lemon juice, ideally fresh,
- Cream - single or pouring cream, which is similar to half and half or light cream.
- Breadcrumbs - fresh white breadcrumbs from I slice of white bread. This helps to soak up any excess moisture. Blitz the bread in a food processor or use the coarse side of a grater.
- Paprika - for colour and flavour.
- Worcester sauce - for a spicy tang. This is often used in seafood or marie rose sauce served with prawn cocktail and other chellfish dishes.
- Salt - flaked sea salt.
- Pepper - freshly ground black pepper.
The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.
🍽 Equipment
- sieve
- grater or food processor
- mixing bowl
🔪 Instructions
Drain the tins of crab.
💭 Top Tip
- If the white crab is packed in water or brine it will hold a lot of liquid. Turn the crabmeat into a sieve and use the back of a spoon to squeeze out any excess. Fluff up the meat wilth a fork.
- The brown meat often just has a little excess water. Just pour off a little as draining the brown meat will remove too much of the flavour.
Add the cream to a mixing bowl and stir in the lemon juice, paprika, mustard and seasoning.
Next, add the breadcrumbs and brown and white crab.
Stir the mixture until combined.
Transfer to individual serving dishes and chill until required.
🥗 Serve with
This is very much a special occasion starter and goes particlarly well before an elaborate of rich main course, such as these ideas.
- Turkey Ballotine
- Roast Partridge
- Chateaubriand
- Cannon of Lamb
- Côte de Boeuf
- Bavette Steak
- Pork Confit
- Chicken en Croûte
- Duck with Orange Sauce
- Picanha Beef
- Rack of Pork
- Pigeon Breast
🥙 Substitutions
- Cream - use mayonnaise, crème fraiche or sour cream.
- Crab - use imitation crab. Shred the sticks then chop into smaller pieces. sticks
- Mustard - use French mustard
- Worcester sauce - use mushroom ketchup or a small splash of balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar
📖 Variations
- Salmon - use canned or fresh poached salmon, canned mackerel or pilchards.
🍣 Storage
- Refrigerator - cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Freezer - not suitable for freezing.
🍱 Prepare in Advance
- Make the crab pâté ahead and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
🤔 FAQs
A terrine is normally made by lining a raised baking dish with bacon, then layering meats and sometimes vegetables. The dish is then cooked in a water bath in the oven. It is served in slices, normally for a starter.
Try Game Terrine or Duck Terrine with Asparagus. These are normally eaten with a knife and fork and some good Caramelised Onion Chutney.
A pâté is often cooked in the same way but the meats are minced before cooking, so that the pâté can be spread on bread. Pâté can be coarse or smooth and creamy.
Another quick recipe is Smoked Salmon Pâté. This is very economical to make with smoked salmon trimmings.
With a parfait, the meat is cooked first and then passed through a sieve to achieve a smooth mixture. Cream and butter are often added for added richness, along with brandy or other alcohol. I should point out that the term parfait, when discussing a savoury dish, is more used by the British than French. A parfait in French, relates to a smooth dessert.
Chicken Liver Parfait is an absolute classic that is elegant served in individual ramekins or glass jars.
Rillettes are another form of pâté where meat is cooked slowly, shredded and mixed with fat. In France, duck, pork and chicken rillettes are very popular.
Pork Rillettes are an economical dish to make using pork shoulder.
Pâté is a general term meaning paste in French. It also refers to pastry, as in pâté feuilleté which is puff pastry.
It is also used for pasta!
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais
More French starters and appetisers
📋 Recipe
Crab Pâté
Equipment
- sieve
- grater or food processor
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 200 g white crab meat drained weight
- 100 g brown crab meat
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon single cream
- 20 g white breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Worcester sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Drain the tins of crab.
- Add the cream to a mixing bowl and stir in the lemon juice, paprika, mustard and seasoning.
- Next, add the breadcrumbs and brown and white crab.
- Stir the mixture until combined.
- Transfer to individual serving dishes and chill until required.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
More starters, spreads and soups
🍲 Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Do you have a question or did you make the recipe? Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover this dish. Your name and email are required to avoid spam comments; they are never used for any purpose or shared with third parties.
However, due to spam comments, I do have to moderate each one, so don't worry if you cannot see your comment immediately. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can.
Amanda
Hi Gilliam. I would still use 300g but would mash up a third of it to get the right texture. Too many lumps and the consistency will fall apart. thanks, Amanda
GILLIAN KAY
I would love to make the crab pate but only have pure crab claw meat so would I use 300g to make these or only 200g please. Thanks
Nancy
Lovely crab pate that can be made in no time. I made some amuse base for friends baby shower and used the leftovers for my toast. Yummy
Dana
I absolutely love this pate! Anything crab, all the time. I could practically eat the entire bowl myself!
Gina Abernathy
So tasty and delish. It was perfect for lunch but also fancy enough for an appetizer.
Natalie
What a breakfast this was! We enjoyed it yesterday, and it seems I have to be making your crab pate very soon again, thanks!
Jovita
What a great consistency! Love this on some fresh sourdough bread!
Katherine
This is such a tasty and elegant pate!
gunjan
Wow.....such a delicious recipe with delicious ingredients. I am so excited to try it for my friends over the weekend.
Tara
I love how easily this crab pâté comes together! Such fantastic flavors too. It looks so good.
Stephanie
This is a great low-calorie appetizer! I think I'm going to add it to my holiday menu. It's elegant enough to serve to guests, and who couldn't use a little low-calorie decadence that time of year!
Beth
This crab pate was delicious with oat cakes. A lovely starter!