Hot Crab Dip
For my San Francisco Bay Area work friends, this original recipe comes from our long time leader and mentor. One Christmas we had an office potluck. As our boss, we were not sure what he’d bring to the potluck, but mid-morning off he went to the grocery store. He came back with two whole dungeness crabs and all the ingredients to make this dip. In our small office kitchen he cracked all that crab and made the most delicious, decadent dip we’d ever had. He shared the recipe with all of us and I’ve been making it ever since.
It’s very easy to make, all in one pot and is ready in about 10 minutes. Start by taking cream cheese that has been slightly softened and cubed and place in a medium saucepan.
Add the Rest of the ingredients
The mayo, mustard, tabasco, garlic and onion all go right in the pan together.
Add the sherry. On our recent adventure making this dip we realized we did not have sherry, so we substituted brandy, which worked just fine. The alcohol can be omitted, but it does add very nice flavor.
Finish by seasoning with pepper (I use white pepper in this dip) and a bit of salt. Keep in mind the crab naturally has salt, so go sparingly at first. Correct with additional salt and pepper at the very end.
The Crab
Living in Texas now, fresh dungeness crab is almost impossible to find. Additionally, as of this writing, the entire West Coast is experiencing another delay in the crabbing season this year. This all adds up to making crab hard to find and very expensive.
We have found good substitutes over the years in canned crab found at the seafood counter in most grocers.
In the end, this is a great appetizer that’s a crowd pleaser, while bringing back great memories of many years of work friendships.
On this night, we had just a few people over for dinner so we made a half batch. We served it with our Easy Party Meatballs found: HERE in the blog. Served with caprese sticks it makes a great small spread of appetizers.
Hot Crab Dip
Ingredients
- 16 oz. fresh or canned crab
- 2 8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp. prepared mustard
- 1-2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
- Several drops of Tabasco
- ¼ to ½ cup Sherry or brandy
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- Green onion, chopped and paprika for garnish
Instructions
- Heat all ingredients to a very brief slight boil while stirring then add crab, bring to very brief slight boil again and then serve hot. Toss some chopped green onions on top along with a little paprika for color and presentation.
