This one you must try.
The recipe contains good South Carolina crabs, is easy to make, has only a few ingredients, and tastes really good. You can make it ahead of serving time and reheat it for Sunday dinner, and we have Jane Griggs of Welsh Neck Baptist Church in Society Hill to thank.
Rev. Eric Sloan has pastored the historic church for about five years, and Sunday attendance has been a steady average of around 70. The church offers a full range of Baptist programs and is a member of the Welsh Neck Baptist Association, headed by Dave Worthington.
Organized in 1738, Welsh Neck is one of the oldest Baptist churches in the state. Last year, Welsh Neck celebrated its 275th birthday with activities throughout the year. Worshipers currently meet in the 86-year-old building constructed in 1928 after the earlier building burned. And, yes, over the years they have added heat and air conditioning!
The story of the church is an exciting one. The name comes from the group of Welsh people who came from Wales, then came south and organized the church those many years ago, and from their location at the “neck” of the Pee Dee River. Its cemetery is the resting place of many notables of South Carolina history.
Jane and her husband, Robert, a deacon at Welsh Neck, also have an exciting story. Robert, retired from Liberty Life Insurance, and Jane have known each other for most of their lives. Both had lost spouses several years before they married two years ago. Jane has a son, William Paul Nolan, who is also a deacon. He and his wife, Debbie, have two children (Angela and Paula) and two grandchildren (Landon and Katherine) — which makes Jane a great-grandmother, and she loves it! Robert has a son, Kevin, who is unmarried, and a son, Jeff, and his wife, Kristin, who have two children — Jack and Maggie.
Jane and Robert are both retired, but are busy at their church. She is in the choir and is a member of Helping Hands, a group that does benevolent work at the time of bereavement. She is also a member of the Sue Wilson Circle, and she and Robert are part of the Welsh Ramblers group, which takes frequent trips.
Her retirement from the office at Burlington Industries in Cheraw 17 years ago has given Jane more time for her many activities, including making Deviled Crab Casserole.
This recipe has been part of her family since she was a young child and is from her late mother, Beulah Carrigan. It was from her mother also that Jane learned her cooking skills.
South Carolinians are fortunate that such a large part of their state’s boundary is the ocean, which provides not only the beaches for vacations but also the fishing industry for its culinary pleasure such as today’s recipe. Make this soon, and your whole family will be glad you chose it for … Sunday Dinner.
Deviled Crab Casserole
1 1-pound can crab meat
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups bread crumbs
2 teaspoons grated onion
Dash of hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the bread crumbs and butter and set aside.
Combine the beaten eggs, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, grated onion and hot pepper sauce. When well mixed, add the crab meat and mix again. Spread evenly in a 6×8 or 7×12 baking dish and sprinkle with the buttered bread crumbs.
Bake for 30 minutes. Makes 8 servings.