Hot Crab Dip

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April 04, 2024
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Has this week been painfully long for anyone else? Who is so glad it’s Friday?! I’m trying to rest up (and trying desperately to get some nagging zits to go away) because Sara and I are headed to Utah to start working on some publicity for our book. Those of you who are in Utah, be sure to tune into Studio 5 on Wednesday if you want to see us cooking some of our favorite recipes in the book!

Well, the Superbowl is almost here, and I’ve mentioned a time or two that I really couldn’t care less about football, but I love football food. This crab dip is another variation of the Jalapeno Popper Dip and the Garlic-Artichoke Dip. So, like the others, you’ll need cream cheese, mayo, and Parmesan, then you’ll also need Creole mustard (or a similarly mild coarsely ground mustard), minced garlic chopped green onions, lemon juice, and shredded crab. Now…about the crab. Unless you’re married to someone on Deadliest Catch (or are a crabber yourself), crab can be quite expensive, even if you live in a place where fresh crab is abundant.

Here are your options:

–Find someone local who will sell/give you crabs (this sentence sounds so wrong) for a good price or trade (not getting better). I know when it’s shrimp and crawfish season here in Louisiana, people are constantly along the side of the road selling shrimp or crawfish, and a lot of times, they’re willing to give you a great deal for some kind of trade.
–Check the seafood department of your grocery store for some plastic cannisters filled with fresh crab. This is quite expensive (like I’ve seen it for $14 for about 8-12 ounces), but it’ll be pretty good.
–Frozen crab can be hit or miss. I found some frozen crab claws at our Kroger, but they had not been properly sealed (they had just been cellophane-wrapped) and they were all freezer burned. If this is the case, don’t waste your money.
–You could actually use fresh or frozen crawfish or lobster if you can get it for a better price. Shellfish is shellfish (say that three times fast!), especially when lots of cream cheese and mayonnaise is involved, right?
–Apparently, there is a pretty good brand of canned crab called Phillips. It is found in the refrigerated section of grocery stores and Costcos. Shockingly (I’m being sarcastic here), I am unable to find Phillips Crab at any of my local establishments, but I’ve read great things about it for those of you who can find it!
–There are other brands of canned crab (like Chicken of the Sea). There are mixed reviews about it and honestly, I kept thinking about how different canned and fresh tuna taste and I couldn’t bring myself to try it. Has anyone tried those types of canned crab? Any thoughts feelings about them?
–Smuggle some crab legs into your purse from the Friday night buffet at the Chinese restaurant. I don’t recommend this on so many levels.
–There is Krab. Imitation crab. I am opposed to it for the solitary reason that one of my biggest pet peeves in the universe is when people substitute “K” for “C” when it is not 100% necessary (and really, is it ever necessary?!) However, it is cheap. My husband hates seafood. I was not spending $15 on real crab for a dip that would go largely uneaten. So…Krab it was. And it was pretty good–not as good as the real thing, and I’m also opposed to meat that has the texture of string cheese, but hey, if you chop it up small enough, no one will ever know, right?
So ANYWAY, enough about crabs! Once you have all your ingredients together,

 


preheat your oven and place the shredded crab (krab? [Oh, holy night, I shudder at the sight of it!]) in a large bowl and add the juice of a lemon. Then add the remaining ingredients and stir it all together until it’s well-combined. Spread the mixture into a 9″ pie plate or into a medium-sized baking dish and bake it for 20-25 minutes or until it’s golden brown and bubbly on top. See my picture?


That is not golden-brown. That is overdone. It’s also called, “I kind of left the crab dip in the oven while I went to the bus stop to pick up my kid and then got sidetracked talking to Sara about top-secret (but soon-to-be-not-top-secret) blog business.” If you’re not crazy about burned cheese, I don’t recommend it.

So it’s super easy and who (besides my husband) doesn’t love crab dip?! And guess what…even he loves it because I didn’t tell him it had crab in it and he ate a lot of it. So that’s gotta say something, right?

Hot Crab Dip
Recipe by Our Best Bites

 2 8-oz. packages cream cheese (light is fine)
1 c. mayonnaise (light is fine, but no Miracle Whip)
1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c. (about 6-8 oz.) shredded crab (or Krab)
Juice of 1 small lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. chopped green onions (about 1 bunch)
1 tablespoon of Creole or mild coarse-grain mustard
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine shredded crab and lemon juice in a large bowl and then add the remaining ingredients. Mix well and spread in a 9″ pie plate or a medium baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Serve with slices of sourdough bread.

 

 

Sara Wells
Meet The Author

Sara Wells

Sara Wells co-founded Our Best Bites in 2008. She is the author of three Bestselling Cook Books, Best Bites: 150 Family Favorite Recipes, Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites, and 400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites. Sara’s work has been featured in many local and national news outlets and publications such as Parenting Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Fine Cooking, The Rachel Ray Show and the New York Times.

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Questions & Reviews

  1. We just demolished this during the pre-game show. Delicious!!! Used the premium Phillips crab which I found near the fresh seafood at my local Harris Teeter ($12 for 8 oz).

    Reply

  2. try adding small uncooked shrimp 1 pound then add 1 pound of krab (the bad word) finely chopped an 1/2 teaspoon of crab boil and a little old bay seasoning ya’ll will never be able to tell the taste from the real crab its the crab boil that makes the taste of crab and the shrimp is just extra flavor try it ya’ll will love it

    Reply

  3. I just have to say omg…. I just made this dip and it didn’t even make it into a serving bowl before I was trying it. So good!!!!! I was out if green onions so I used 2 tsp of onion powder and added 1 tsp of Old Bay seasoning instead and it is amazing! Thanks so much for the recipe!! And I used Chicken of the Sea Lump Crab Meat for mine. It’s about $10 for 8 ounces but I hate immigration crab meat so it was well worth it for me 🙂

    Reply

  4. LOL, it’s so funny you say that because it drives me up the wall when people automatically spell Crystal with a K, shouldn’t they always first assume it’s with a C? It’s even worse when they ask me how to spell it and I say “like the glass” (I live in Ireland, Waterford Crystal is a household name) and they still spell it with a K. Geez, seriously!?! Sorry, rant over, I must try this recipe, it looks fab!

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  5. Yes I will try the recipe but even more: I HATE it when people substitute K for C and Kw for Qu. Why of why must we contribute to the illiteracy rate of America??

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  6. These look delicious and I can’t wait to try it!! I am using this recipe to get me through football season … 22 dips til Superbowl – you can read about it here! http://wp.me/p2hp9V-xq
    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply