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Crabby eggs en cocotte

By: Emily Gussin
Food producer and sustainability lead, delicious.

Published: 19 Nov 24
Updated: 19 Nov 24

A hidden base of crabmeat, crème fraîche and spinach awaits when you break into these baked eggs. You can prepare the crab mixture the night before and store it in the fridge, ready to make this special breakfast.

Try this dish for Christmas breakfast, or click for more festive brekkie ideas.

Easy
December 2024

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4
Hands-on time 15 min. Oven time 15-18 min

Try this dish for Christmas breakfast, or click for more festive brekkie ideas.

Gluten-free recipes

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 224kcals
Fat: 16g (7.3g saturated)
Protein: 19g
Carbohydrates: 0.7g (0.5g sugars)
Fibre: 0.6g
Salt: 1g

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Before you start

Baking the eggs in ramekins set in boiled water helps them cook slowly, setting the white while keeping the yolk runny.

Before you start

Baking the eggs in ramekins set in boiled water helps them cook slowly, setting the white while keeping the yolk runny.

Ingredients

200g spinach
200g crabmeat, 50/50 mix of white and brown
80g crème fraîche
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp white wine vinegar
About 10g chives, finely chopped
4 medium eggs
2 tsp single cream (optional)
Toast to serve

Specialist kit

4 ramekins or individual pudding moulds

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Method

Heat the oven to 180°C/ 160°C fan/gas 4 and boil the kettle. Put the spinach in a colander in the sink and pour over the just-boiled water. Stir, then leave to wilt for a few minutes. Rinse with cold water so it’s cool enough to handle, then squeeze out as much water as possible and finely chop.
Stir together the spinach, crab, crème fraîche, mustard, vinegar and most of the chives in a bowl and season with salt and plenty of pepper..
Divide the mixture among 4 ramekins or individual pudding moulds. Use a spoon to create a dent in the centre of each, then crack an egg into the space Drizzle each one with a few drops of single cream (if using) and season with salt and pepper.

Sit the ramekins in a deep oven dish, then carefully pour just-boiled water around them so it comes three quarters of the way up the sides. Carefully transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes until set but with slightly wobbly yolks. Use tongs to lift the ramekins out of the water and dry the bases. Sprinkle over the remaining chives and serve with toast for dipping.