I love to serve dips at parties, they’re easy, most can be made in advance, and people go crazy over them. Some of my favorites include BLT dip, jalapeno popper dip, and this decadent crab dip.
Crab Dip Ingredients
To make crab dip make sure you have crab meat, cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, green onions, Monterey Jack cheese and diced tomatoes. If you are in the mood for crab you should try some of my other favorite crab appetizer recipes like crab stuffed mushrooms, Maryland crab cakes, crab rangoon and crab salad.
How Do You Make Crab Dip?
When you make this crab dip recipe start by placing crab, softened cream cheese, mayo, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, green onions and Monterey Jack cheese in a large bowl. Stir everything together. Spread the crab mixture into a prepared baking dish or skillet. Bake it for 20 minutes then remove it from the oven. Sprinkle cheese on top and broil it for a couple of minutes so the cheese can start to brown. Add a sprinkling of fresh tomatoes and green onions and you’ll be ready to eat!
Tips For The Perfect Dip
Splurge a little and use real crab here. I used lumps of frozen crab meat, but you can also buy refrigerated lump crab meat in the refrigerated area of the seafood counter or canned crab meat. In a pinch you can use imitation crab meat, but it won’t have the same flavor. My recipe calls for smoked paprika. It’s definitely worth purchasing this spice if you don’t already have it in the pantry. Serve your crab dip with baguette chips (crostini), baguette slices, celery, carrots, breadsticks, tortilla chips or crackers.
Crab Dip Variations
Crab meat doesn’t need a whole lot added to it to make it special, but here are a few ways to jazz up your basic crab dip.
Spicy: Add minced pickled jalapenos or some hot sauce. Artichokes: Add 1/2 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts. Seafood: Use 4 ounces of crab meat and 4 ounces of salad sized shrimp. Bacon: Add 1/2 cup of cooked crumbled bacon on top of the baked dip. Cheese: I use Monterey Jack cheese because it’s a mild, creamy cheese that melts well and doesn’t overpower the flavor of the crab. Other cheese options include mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese or fontina cheese. Seasoning: For a stronger taste, you can mix in some old bay seasoning or some of my salmon seasoning. You can also try mixing in a squeeze of lemon juice, some Worcestershire sauce or some pepper. Creamy: For a creamier, thinner dip add 1/3 cup of sour cream. Parsley: If you don’t have green onions on hand, you can try parsley instead.
No matter how you decide to serve your crab dip, it’s sure to be a hit. Crab can be expensive when it’s not in season, so I save this dip for a special occasion. My guests are always so happy and impressed!
Crab Dip Video
