Hot Crab Dip

38 Comments
October 16, 2025
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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.

 

 

woman in denim shirt holding a salad bowl
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. My favorite easy crab dip:
    2 blocks cream cheese
    2 jars Old English Cheddar
    2 bunches green onions, chopped

    Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl on 50% power. Easy and delicious! Fritos, crackers or baguette. Yumm

    Reply

  2. Made this for my family the other night…it was AMAZING!! Best crab dip I have ever tasted!! It was sweet and creamy and we ate every last bit of it!! I did one extra thing and layered it with parmesan cheese so it had kind of a crusty top when I took it out of the oven!!

    Reply

  4. Will be making this Christmas Eve to take to a get together. Sounds good and looks good. Wish me luck!

    Reply

  5. Omgosh, you crack me ypup with the “K” for “C” comment. We call VERY country people ‘country with a ‘K”. I can say this bc I’m from the bayou and can be ‘country with a ‘K'” myself sometimes! Lol! Also daughter and granddaughter of fishermen. I’m a stickler for fresh gulf seafood. My recent move to NY has been a challenge in that dept! Also, I’ve always gotten it for FREE! Will be trying this dip this summer in NOLA!

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  6. I am the daughter of fisherman, the granddaughter of fishermen, and wife to a fisherman. It goes without saying, I am a seafood snob; and crabmeat just happens to be my most absolute favorite thing…I am a NC girl, after all.

    There’s a traditional “Down East” (this is NOT everything east of Raleigh) recipe very similiar to this one but it features horseradish. I also use Old Bay (on like everything) and whipped cream cheese in mine. However, crab casserole is even better than that 🙂

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  7. Will you be able to add a link to your Studio 5 showtime? I live in Utah but will be at work when it's on.

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  8. I made this tonight and hubby and I devoured it! I served it with baked wonton strips and it was (almost) just like crab wontons. Thank you so much! I left out cayenne because the kids were eating it too.

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  9. I also hate the substitution of K for C in words. But I still call srimi Krab. If it helps (for me, it does), you can pronounce it: Kay-rab. At least that way, I don't feel I'm trying to fool anyone, even myself!

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  10. This looks delicious. I've tried crab in a can before for a crab dip.. some recipe I found on foodnetwork..I think Sandra Lee..you know she uses canned everything. But it was really delicious and like you said with the cream cheese and mayo.. it's gonna be good. But in fact it was really good. It's especially great when making it for a rather large party.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Reply