Chef Roscoe Hall's Deviled Crab Fritters

**Chef: Roscoe Hall / Food Stylist: Lauren Sharp Gavin / Photos: Wes Frazer**

Chef Roscoe Hall's Deviled Crab Fritters

Chef: Roscoe Hall | Writer: Catherine Jessee | Seafood: Crab

From culinary director for Post Office Pies to Executive Chef for Rodney Scott's BBQ, Roscoe Hall has bitten off more of Alabama than anyone else could possibly chew. This magic city native has spread his love of cooking across the U.S. He has cooked professionally in California at Chez Panisse, New York City, where he was on David Chang's staff at Momofuku Saam Bar, and has made multiple appearances as a contestant on Top Chef. Grandson of Dreamland Bar-B-Que's founder John Bishop, Chef Hall keeps his family's culinary traditions alive and well in his delicious works. In the coming months, we'll release several new Chef Hall curated recipes that bring Gulf seafood flavors to life.

If you love the shallow, warm waters of the Alabama gulf, you’ve got something in common with the Blue Crab, whose habitat rests comfortably in our neck of the woods. You might not think about these crawlin’ crustaceans when you think about Alabama seafood, but sweet gulf waters make them bountiful. In fact, when populations in other regions dwindle, it’s more than likely gulf crab that meets the demand. And the demand is certainly there—salty-sweet and tender, Blue Crab is hard to resist.

Roscoe Hall’s Deviled Crab Fritters are a celebration of a long held tradition of trapping crab down along the Atlantic coast and into the Alabama gulf. “Crab is everywhere” says Roscoe. Despite its abundance in gulf waters, this particular type of shellfish goes underutilized in everyday Alabamian kitchens. It's a common ingredient in some of the finest restaurants across the region but not so much when you're cooking at home. The question is: what are you going to do with it?

Devil them, of course! “Deviled” means “cooked with spice” or, traditionally, with mustard and some sort of heat. Gochugaru, a vibrant-red Korean chili pepper, works in tandem to create a perfectly devilish fritter for kicking it with friends and an iced cold beer before kick-off. Roscoe’s recommendation? Serve with remoulade sauce as a party beginner with a crisp, fresh glass of cava—anything to choke the heat. And for the saintly among us, there’s always Sunday casserole with squash, the perfect seafood side, crisped up and buttery straight from the oven. Read on for the recipes:

What you need

Ingredients: 2 Cups Saltine Crackers, crushed, divided (1 cup for crab mixture, 1 cup for dredge); 1 Stick of unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 Tbsp. for frying; 1 Cup Mayo; 1 Egg, beaten; 1 TBSP Dijon; 1 TBSP Lemon Zest; 2 tsp Smoked Paprika; 2 tsp Pickapeppa Sauce; 1 tsp Gochugaru or Cayenne Pepper; 1 tsp Dry Mustard Powder; 1 tsp Hot Sauce; 3 tsp Lemon Juice; 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt; 1/2 tsp Black Pepper; 1 Cup "Trinity" or a 1:1:1 ratio of Onion, Green Bell Pepper, and Celery, chopped finely; 1 lb Jumbo Lump Crab Meat; 2 TBSP Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped; 2 TBSP Sliced Scallions; Splash Sherry; 1 Cup Grapeseed oil, for frying
Sauce: 1 Cup Mayo; 1/4 Cup Chopped Onion; 1/4 Cup Ketchup; 2 TBSP Pickle Juice; 2 TBSP Chopped Pickle; 1 TBSP Lemon Juice; 1 tsp Smoked Paprika; 1 tsp Gochugaru or Cayenne; 1 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Black Pepper

Steps

Fritters

1.

Grab two large bowls. In one bowl, mix together butter and crushed saltines ‘til incorporated. In the other bowl, whisk together mayo, egg, dijon, zest, paprika, Pickapeppa sauce, gochugaru or cayenne, mustard powder, hot sauce, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir in trinity and parsley, then toss in your crab. Add a huge splash of sherry, if ya got it.

2.

Combine butter/crackers and crab mixture, but don’t over mix—just make sure everything is evenly coated.

3.

Using a kitchen spoon, scoop and form into heaping balls, or place directly on a baking sheet. Chill in fridge to set for at least 15 minutes or up to an hour until ready to fry.