Gulf Coast Crab Dip

Now that we’re done with the summer and headed into Football… I mean Fall… it’s time to start thinking about warm dips. For me, the summer is the time for salsas and guacamole and such. But as the weather turns colder, I like to make up something warming and comforting for friends to enjoy during the game.

Now, when people think of the Gulf of Mexico, they think of New Orleans. And shrimp. If you look at a map, however, you’ll see that my home country of Texas has quite the coast. We like the coast and spend as much time as we can there. Unless we’re going to the Hill Country. But that’s another story for another day.

And while I’m at it, I’ll point out that we Texicans know all about crabs. You didn’t really think we’d leave all that seafood goodness to Maryland, did you?

Enough talking. Let’s make some dip!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. lump crab meat (jumbo if you can find it)
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup green onions
2-3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons  Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1-2 teaspoons hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions:

At least an hour before making, remove cream cheese from refrigerator. You want it nice and smooth.

When you’re ready to prepare, preheat oven to 325°.

Cut green onion into thin slices, starting at the root end. (Cut the very end off.) Don’t worry about getting into the green part of the onion; it will add some nice color.

Peel garlic cloves and mince them very finely.

Put everything in a large bowl and stir (gently) until everything is mixed together and getting happy.

Lightly grease your baking dish. I use just a touch of olive oil. This just helps keep things from sticking. No big deal.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Serve immediately.

Notes:

If the top is nicely browned, you’re done. If you don’t care if the top is browned, you’re done. But if you want a nicely browned top, place the dish under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it!! Don’t let it burn. You’ll hate yourself if you do.

To serve, you can bring the baking dish to the table (set it on a trivet or two) and let folks serve themselves, or scoop into individual bowls if you want to make certain everyone gets the same amount. (Yeah, I’ve got one of those friends, too… the guy who scoops half the dip onto his first cracker.)

Another way to go about it is to actually bake it in individual ramekins. Place the bowl in the center of a large plate, and surround it with your dippers.

And speaking of that, you can serve this with crackers, toast points, Pita triangles or just some good bread. If you want to get really fancy, heat a round loaf of bread. Cut the top off and cut out most of the bread inside. Put the dip into the hole you just made and cut the remaining bread into cubes for dipping.

No matter what you do, I’m pretty certain your friends are going to ask you to make it again. Soon! Have fun, and don’t forget:

Play with your food!

Lane

Did you like this recipe? What recipes would you like to learn? Leave me a comment and tell me your thoughts! (And don’t forget to LIKE this post!) Share it using the tiles below.

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