{{Short description|Crab meat croquette}} [[File:Deviled crabs.JPG|thumb|right|Deviled crab from historic Ybor City, Tampa ]]
'''Deviled crab''' ('''''croqueta de jaiba''''' in Spanish) is a crab meat croquette. Deviled crab croquettes originated in Tampa, Florida, where they were developed in the Spanish, Cuban and Italian immigrant community of Ybor City. It is typically served for lunch or as a snack, and it is meant to be eaten with one hand.
Deviled crabs are somewhat similar to boardwalk-style Maryland crab cakes. Differences include the oblong shape, the seasonings used, and the preferred method of eating (by hand). Since deviled crabs were designed to be hand-held, they are packed together more densely than a crab cake so as to not come apart easily.<ref name=autogenerated1 />
==Preparation and description== The deviled crab is prepared by slowly sautéing blue crab meat with a seasoning sauce made with tomatoes, onions, peppers, and various other flavors. This seasoning sauce is a version of a Cuban-style enchilada / ''sofrito'' sauce, known locally as "''chilau''".<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news |title=Deviled crab croquettes a tasty Tampa tradition |last1=Houck |first1=Jeff |url=http://www2.tbo.com/lifestyles/flavor/2011/feb/08/deviled-crab-croquettes-a-tasty-tampa-tradition-ar-9962/ |accessdate=2020-01-09 |work=The Tampa Tribune |date=8 February 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009184919/http://www2.tbo.com/lifestyles/flavor/2011/feb/08/deviled-crab-croquettes-a-tasty-tampa-tradition-ar-9962/ |archivedate=2012-10-09 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Once most of the liquid is gone, the cooked crab meat is rolled in breadcrumbs (traditionally stale Cuban bread) and hand-formed into the approximate shape of a rugby football or small potato, then deep fried until brown.<ref>{{cite web |title=Deviled Crab Rolls recipe - Cuban style |url=http://www.tasteofcuba.com/crabrolls.html |website=Taste of Cuba |accessdate=2020-01-09 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014140922/http://tasteofcuba.com/crabrolls.html |archivedate=2008-10-14 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Early versions of the recipe usually contained more spicy chili pepper than modern versions, thus giving them the appellation "deviled" in English.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> As the ''croqueta's'' spiciness was toned down to account for a wider range of tastes, various pepper sauces became a common condiment utilized by those who liked their deviled crabs hot.<ref>[http://foodmuseum.typepad.com/food_museum_blog/2007/02/devil_crabs_ser.html food museum blog: Devil Crabs Served Up With Cuban Luvvvvvv]</ref><ref name="throwdown">{{cite news |last1=Travis |first1=Helen Anne |title=Deviled Crab Throwdown contestants will dish up Tampa history Saturday |url=https://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/events/deviled-crab-throwdown-contestants-will-dish-up-tampa-history-saturday/2237542/ |access-date=31 January 2019 |work=Tampa Bay Times |date=16 July 2015}}</ref>
==History== Deviled crabs originated in the Spanish/Cuban/Italian immigrant community of Ybor City, Tampa, Florida during a late-1920s strike in the area's cigar factories.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cigarcitymagazine.com/bitter-strikes-brought-deviled-crabs/ |title="Bitter Strikes Brought Deviled Crabs" - Cigar City Magazine |access-date=2016-03-13 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120722074331/http://www.cigarcitymagazine.com/food/item/bitter-strikes-brought-deviled-crabs |archive-date=2012-07-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Since blue crabs were plentiful in the nearby waters of Tampa Bay and Cuban bread was cheap, unknown home chefs seeking an inexpensive meal combined these ingredients with their own seasonings to make Tampa-style crab croquettes. These ''croquetas de jaiba'' became widely popular after the strike, when local entrepreneurs began selling their own versions of the snack from pushcarts and bicycles along Tampa sidewalks.<ref>[http://www.foodmuseum.com/xLiliDeviledCrab.html "A venerable Tampa tradition" - foodmuseum.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512020352/http://www.foodmuseum.com/xLiliDeviledCrab.html |date=2008-05-12 }}</ref><ref name="nytimes1">[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/27/dining/27united.html?_r=1 "Tampa's Favorite Street Food" - New York Times]</ref>
Deviled crabs are still popular in the Tampa Bay area, especially in lunch cafes and restaurants that serve Cuban and/or Spanish cuisine in Ybor City and West Tampa.<ref name="nytimes1"/><ref>[http://www.chowhound.com/topics/325368 Best Deviled Crabs in Tampa - Florida - Chowhound]</ref> Smaller crab ''croquetas'' are commonly served as appetizers while larger versions can be a meal onto themselves.<ref name="love">{{cite news |last1=Hooper |first1=Ernest |title=Love of deviled crab is in the details |url=https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/love-of-deviled-crab-is-in-the-details/2229679/ |access-date=31 January 2019 |work=Tampa Bay Times |date=14 May 2015}}</ref>
==Other versions== [[File:Deviled_Crab_-_Mocambo.jpg|thumb|right|Deviled crab served on halved shells at Mocambo Calcutta, India ]] Up the U.S. Atlantic coast from Georgia to the Chesapeake Bay region, "deviled crab" refers to a different dish entirely. In this version, crab meat (usually blue crab) is taken out of the shell, mixed and cooked with bread crumbs and spices with a consistency similar to loose crab cake, and then returned to a halved crab shell to be served and eaten with a fork or spoon.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.coastalliving.com/food/kitchen-assistant/twenty-crab-recipes-00414000067665/page6.html |title=Deviled Crab < 20 Coastal Crab Recipes - Coastal Living<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2012-08-05 |archive-date=2013-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121133516/http://www.coastalliving.com/food/kitchen-assistant/twenty-crab-recipes-00414000067665/page6.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Another in-shell version of the deviled crab that is served in India and along the coastlines of other south Asian countries is more similar to the Chesapeake deviled crab than the Tampa deviled crab.
==See also== {{portal|Food}} * Deviled egg * Deviled ham * Devilled kidneys * List of crab dishes * List of seafood dishes
==References== {{reflist|2}}
==External links== * [https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/04/27/dining/20110427-UNITED.html New York Times slideshow of Tampa's deviled crabs]
Category:Crab dishes Category:Cuban cuisine Category:Culture of Tampa, Florida Category:American seafood dishes Category:Deep fried foods of the United States