My all time favorite appetizer, hands down. When crab dip is good, it can be soooo good. But, when it’s bad …yowza. I’m fortunate enough to live in a place where a bushel of the bay’s best crabs are just a 30 minute drive on the backroads – to Crisfield, Maryland. You buy them directly off of the boat, for insanely cheap price (well, most of the year anyways. They mark them up Memorial Day and July 4th). Jon has converted a beer keg into a cooking vessel – so we can cook a whole bushel at a time. Combine that with a kegerator in the garage and it makes for one awesome crab feast!
If there are any leftover soldiers, I’ll usually pick them to make a batch of crab dip up the following night. It’s so rich and creamy, it really makes a meal. This recipe was given to me by a very dear friend of the family, who shall go unnamed to maintain her anonymity. But, I love her forever for sharing it with me. It’s just the right balance of everything, really allowing the crab to shine.
One word of caution though, do not to skimp on crab meat. The plastic tubs are usually okay, but that canned stuff is just whack. No one wants crab meat all the way from Vietnam. Enjoy this one if you can, it’s definitely one of my favorites!
Creamy Crab Dip
1/2 pound fresh crab meat
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
pinch garlic salt
paprika, for garnish
Remove cartilage from crab meat. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, may, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and garlic salt until smooth. Add enough milk to make mixture creamy. Stir in half of grated cheese. Gently fold crab meat into mixture.
Pour mixture into a 1 quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350° until mixture is bubbly and browned on top, about 25 minutes. Serve with crackers and crusty French bread.
Source: originally from Maryland Department of Agriculture
