Deviled Crab appears as a signature dish in 1 United States cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Deviled crab (Tampa devil crab) · Tampa
A torpedo-shaped croquette of blue crab meat in spicy tomato sofrito, wrapped in a paste made from Cuban bread crumbs and deep-fried until golden.
Deviled crabs originated in Ybor City's Spanish-Cuban-Italian immigrant community during the 1920 cigar workers strike. Cigar workers caught blue crabs from Tampa Bay and used day-old Cuban bread to stretch the meat into a portable, deep-fried croquette they could carry on the picket line. The Spanish croquette tradition mixed with Cuban sofrito and Sicilian peppers and onions. Francisco Oscar Miranda sold devil crabs from a motorized bike across Tampa from 1920 to 1953. The torpedo shape is the signature.
Where to eat in Tampa:
- Brocato's Sandwich Shop
- Michelle Faedo's On the Go
- Mauricio Faedo's Bakery
- Alessi Bakery
- La Teresita