CRAB CASSEROLE

My good friend, of over 40 years, Sue Gorski, sent this recipe and we tried it last night.  It is truly wonderful.  Sue lives in Yorktown, Virginia and I'm sure the crab from that area is far better than we get in Arkansas, but it is still worth the effort.


CRAB CASSEROLE

Serves 6 to 8

2 pounds of fresh crabmeat (I'm sure most 'fresh' crab in this area has been frozen, get the best you can)
1 cup salad dressing*
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon prepared mustard (I used plain Dijon)
Dash of celery seeds
Dash of Tabasco sauce
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1 cup bread crumbs*
Butter
Pepper


Mix salad dressing with next 5 ingredients, gently toss with crab meat.
Grease a 12" square casserole pan, pour mixture into pan.
Sprinkle top with bread crumbs and dot with small pieces of butter and sprinkle with pepper.
Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
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*I have always preferred mayonnaise to Mircale Whip.  I will check with Sue and see if there is a reason you couldn't subsitute mayonnaise.  I ask Sue about mayonnaise and she said she preferred Mircale Whip, but it would most likely work with mayonnaise.
*Sue used dried bread crumbs, you could also toast fresh bread crumbs in a skillet with butter. 
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Options for serving:  this is great as a lunch or supper, we had it for dinner with salad and fingerling potatoes.  It could be served as an appetizer with crackers or in a pastery shell as a tart, omit the bread crumbs in this case.