Crab Meat Soufflé

Forman C. Bissett had spent most of his life in the hotel business when, on July 4, 1928, he opened a little sandwich shop on State Highway 35 in Brielle, New Jersey, a small, picturesque borough along the Manasquan River in southern Monmouth County, near the Atlantic Ocean. Bissett aimed for his modest roadside restaurant, which he named The Bite Shop, to cater to travelers driving between Manasquan and Point Pleasant and from points beyond. The Bite Shop did so well from the start that in 1932 Bissell spent $12,000 to build a new, 75-seat home for the restaurant on the other side of the highway, at 425 Higgins Avenue, and expanded its menu to include seafood and platter dinners.

Although Forman’s untimely death in 1933 at age 63 could have spelled the end of The Bite Shop, his widow, Caroline (Carrie), and one of his daughters, Eva C. Bissett, immediately took over the operation, which by now had 15 employees in season (from April to November). Under Eva’s leadership, a columnist for the local newspaper noted in 1934, the Bite Shop had “attained its highest recognition” by such serving such dishes as broiled lobsters “fresh from the water [and] so skillfully prepared, seasoned, and served that the most fastidious appetite finds them a delicacy long to be remembered.” The columnist went on to note that the restaurant’s broiled chicken, served on a sizzling platter, was “another of the dishes for which The Bite Shop is justly famous.” Meanwhile, Carrie had been turning out a tantalizing variety of pies, cakes, and other baked goods.

By 1943 the widespread foot shortages brought on by World War II—including meats, sugar, butter and cooking fats, canned goods, and coffee—forced the Bissetts to temporarily close the restaurant. “Regret to Announce Because of Present Conditions Will CLOSE at Once,” the Bite Shop declared in a large newspaper ad. Yet, by 1947, the restaurant had bounced back, celebrating its 19th anniversary with fanfare. A local newspaper observed that it had “come a long way from its humble beginning as a sandwich shop” to become “famous now for broiled lobsters, steaks, and fine home-baked pastries.”

Guests delighted in the antics of Eva’s talkative parrot, which became a quirky symbol of the restaurant. While Carrie was still overseeing the pastry department, Eva had taken over the ownership and management of the Bite Shop, appending her name to the restaurant’s newspaper ads, printing a poem on the back of its menu, hanging paintings by local artists on its walls, and crafting such homespun slogans as “Good Food Is Good Health” and “What a Lovely Place to Eat.” She even sought to lure diners to the Bite Shop by sending out Western Union telegrams with a suggested special—“Fresh Vegetable Soup, Broiled Juicy Steak with French Fried Onion Rings, Potato Balls with Parsley, Lettuce with Russian Dressing, Coffee,” one of them read—for just $1.

But in 1963, with Carrie and Eva facing the inevitable challenges of growing older, a classified ad in the Asbury Park Press signaled the end of the Bite Shop: “Completely equipped restaurant, air-conditioned. Finest equipment. Seats 92. Owner’s apt. $35,000 including property. Good financing.” With its sale, the restaurant was remodeled into a real-estate office.

Carrie died in 1967 at age 93; Eva died in 1988 at age 91.

In later years the restaurant that once lured diners with lobster, chicken, and steak dinners—and, of course, sandwiches—later became the office of a certified public accountant and, most recently, a spiritual adviser offering such services as psychic readings, Reiki healing sessions, and “aura cleansing.”

Print Recipe

Crab Meat Soufflé

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6 servings

The Bite Shop in Brielle, New Jersey, which opened in 1928 and closed in 1963, was best known for its broiled lobster and other other seafood dishes. This Crab Meat Soufflé, a delicate and airy creation that evoked the bounty of the Jersey Shore, was one of the specialties of chef Chatfield Smalls, who worked at the restaurant in the 1950s.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 ounces all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup whole milk
• 8 ounces crab meat, shell and cartilage removed
• 4 large eggs, separated

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

2

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, flour, mustard, salt, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is bubbly.

3

Gradually pour in the milk, whisking constantly, and cook until thickened. Remove from heat.

4

Flake the crab meat into the sauce and stir to combine.

5

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks until thick and pale. Gently fold the yolks into the crab mixture.

6

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the crab mixture, ensuring not to deflate the batter.

7

Pour the mixture into an ungreased baking dish (approximately 5” x 7”) and smooth the top.

8

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the soufflé is firm and lightly browned on top. Serve immediately.

Notes

This recipe has been scaled down from the Bite Shop's original restaurant-size recipe, which was designed to make 25 6-ounce servings and used canned crab meat.