Catch sight of a bubbly cheese and bread crumb-topped casserole coming to the table and start licking your lips. If its aroma suggests a sea breeze, you’re sure to enjoy it. The cook has prepared a classic crabmeat au gratin.

This dish features delicate crabmeat in a mild cheese sauce. It’s an old-time favorite, usually served in small ramekins.

It’s more popular now as a hot dip.

However it’s served, crabmeat au gratin is an oldie but goodie worth bringing back this fall.

A cook who hasn’t purchased crabmeat in a while will probably faint over the price, and you’ll need a couple of pounds to prepare a substantial crabmeat au gratin for a party of eight. Some people replace some or all the fresh crab with canned or imitation crab to cut down on the cost.

If you buy fresh, don’t buy it until the end of your grocery shopping trip because the meat is delicate and ages quickly. You really have to trust the seafood market’s staff to guarantee that the crabmeat is fresh.

In classic cuisine, “gratin” defines a dish that is topped with cheese or bread crumbs mixed with bits of butter, then heated in the oven or under the broiler until the topping is brown and crispy.

According to the “Food Lover’s Companion” by Sharon Tyler Herbst, the “terms au gratin or gratinee refer to any dish prepared in such a manner. Special round or oval gratin pans and dishes are ovenproof and shallow, which increases a dish’s surface area, thereby ensuring a larger crispy portion for each serving.”

Modern versions of crabmeat au gratin don’t always have a crumb topping and tend to emphasize the creamy cheese sauce rather than the crispy crumb and crabmeat quality.

What kind of cheese depends on the cook’s preference. Cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack, Swiss, Gruyere and American are the most common. American cheese, while milder tasting, tends to be a more stable cheese when being heated and doesn’t separate as quickly if cooked at a temperature that is slightly too high.

To be honest, crabmeat au gratin prepared in a casserole and spooned onto a dinner plate when it’s served isn’t a very attractive dish. If you don’t have individual ramekins or gratin pans, you can serve the hot crabmeat au gratin in pastry shells or over toast points to make it look more appealing. The taste is there, just not the appearance.

Here are some versions to try.

Crabmeat au gratin

4cups chopped yellow onions

3/4cup chopped celery

1stick butter or margarine

11/4teaspoons salt

1/2teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2cup self-rising flour

4ounces American cheese, shredded

4ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

6cups evaporated milk

2egg yolks

2tablespoons chopped green onions

2pounds crabmeat

In a large saucepan, saute yellow onions and celery in butter or margarine. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes over low heat. Add salt and cayenne pepper. Stir. Add flour, American cheese and mozzarella cheese. Cook over medium heat until cheese melts. Add 3 cups evaporated milk. Stir.

In a separate bowl, mix egg yolks with remaining 3 cups milk. Gradually add egg yolk mixture to saucepan. Cook over low heat until creamy. Add green onions and crabmeat. Spoon into a greased casserole dish.

Bake for 20 minutes at 450 degrees. Serve immediately. This dish is best when prepared and refrigerated for several hours before baking. Simply adjust baking time to 40 minutes at 450.

Makes six to eight servings.

This can also be used as a dip. Just add additional milk and heat slowly.

Adapted from “Mike Anderson’s Seafood”

The sauce in the following recipe is a Cajun-style version of a traditional bechamel sauce, rich and creamy. This dish can be prepared ahead of time and just popped in the oven 30 minutes before serving.

Louisiana crab au gratin

4tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2cup chopped onion

1tablespoon minced garlic

3tablespoons flour

1cup milk

1cup shredded cheddar cheese

2teaspoons Creole seasoning

1teaspoon hot sauce

1/2teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/4teaspoon ground nutmeg

1pound crabmeat

1/4cup chopped green onions

1/4cup Italian bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In saucepot, heat butter over medium heat; add onions and cook for 5 minutes. Then add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Stir in flour and cook for a minute. Slowly add milk and whip until milk starts to thicken. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup cheese, Creole seasoning, hot sauce, thyme and nutmeg. Continue to cook over low heat until cheese is melted.

Remove from heat and stir in crabmeat and green onions. Pour into an 8-by-8-inch greased baking dish and top with the remaining cheese and bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes.

Makes four servings.

From “Louisiana’s Chef Patrick Mould: Recipes from a Chef” cookbook

Crabmeat au gratin

3tablespoons butter

3tablespoons flour

2cups milk

1/2cup dry sherry

1teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1tablespoon seasoned salt or to taste

1pound crabmeat

1/2cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Paprika

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour and stir to mix thoroughly. Add milk, sherry, Worcestershire sauce and seasoned salt, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, continue stirring and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Sauce may be refrigerated at this point, if desired.

Mix sauce with crabmeat and divide among individual ramekins or spoon into a buttered ceramic baking dish. Top with a mixture of the two cheeses and sprinkle with paprika.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake about 15 minutes for ramekins, or 30 minutes for one large dish. Allow additional cooking time if the sauce has been refrigerated.

Makes four to six servings.

From “Gulf Coast Cooking” by Virginia Elverson