Jersey Crab and Bacon Tart

About This Recipe

This elegant tart showcases Jersey's local seafood and farming traditions. Fresh crab meat, crispy bacon, and herbs are baked in a creamy egg custard within a golden pastry case. This jersey crab and bacon tart is shaped by the home cooks who refined it across generations, balancing tradition with everyday practicality. It's the kind of midday dish that wakes you back up: textures that contrast, flavors that build. Home cooks return to it because the technique is forgiving once the order of operations clicks: build aromatics first, season in layers, and let time do the heavy lifting. The result lands somewhere between everyday and special — humble enough for a weeknight, generous enough for company.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 320 gready-made shortcrust pastry
• 250 gfresh crab meat
• 150 gbacon(diced and cooked)
• 250 mlheavy cream
• 3 largeeggs
• 50 ggruyere cheese(grated)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare tart shell

   Line a 23cm tart tin with pastry, prick base, and blind bake at 180°C for 10 minutes.

2. 2

   Add fillings

   Scatter crab meat and cooked bacon in the pastry shell.

3. 3

   Make custard

   Whisk eggs, cream, and cheese together, season with salt and pepper.

4. 4

   Pour custard

   Carefully pour custard mixture over crab and bacon.

5. 5

   Bake

   Bake at 180°C for 25-30 minutes until filling is set but slightly creamy in the center.

Variations

• •

  Add fresh herbs like dill or tarragon

• •

  Include sautéed mushrooms

• •

  Use different cheeses like cheddar

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Keeps for 2 days refrigerated. Not suitable for freezing.

Frequently Asked Questions