One of our favorite appetizers to have in a restaurant is hot crab dip. I am also picky about what it is served with and am disappointed if it just comes out of the kitchen with crackers. Crab dip is so thick and creamy that it is much better served with crostini or toasted pita bread triangles. So I am also including my recipe for homemade crostini, which is much better than store-bought.
TIPS: Any type of fresh crab meat will do, but try to have some lumps of crab in it, and not totally shredded. You can use white or orange cheddar cheese here, or you can substitute another favorite melting cheese, such as Gruyere or Fontina. If your baking dish is filled to the top, bake with a sheet pan under it as it may bubble over when baking. The crab dip can be mixed together ahead of time, and refrigerated until you are ready to bake, up to 8 hours.
Hot Crab Dip with Crostini
Ingredients
For Crab Dip:
- 1/4 C red onion minced
- 1/2 stalk celery minced
- 1/2 C mayonaise
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese (plus some for sprinkling)
- 1/4 C sour cream
- 1/4 C heavy cream
- 3 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice (about half a large lemon squeezed)
- 1/2 tsp tabasco sauce
- 1 1/4 tsp old bay seasoning
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 8 oz fresh crabmeat (picked for shells)
For Crostini:
- 1 french baguette bread
- olive oil
- kosher or flaky sea salt
- 1 whole garlic clove (optional)
Instructions
For Crab Dip:
- Grease a 1-quart small baking dish. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (375 convection).
- Stir together all the ingredients, except the crab, in a large bowl and combine well.
- Pick through the crab to feel for any shells. Fold crab meat gently into the mixture, trying to maintain any lumps of crab and not overly shred it. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese on top.
- Bake until bubbling hot and slightly browned on top, about 20-25 minutes.
- Serve hot or warm with crostini or pita chips.
For Crostini:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice baguette into thin slices, less than 1/2 inch thick. With a pastry brush, brush each piece of bread (on one side only) with a thin layer of olive oil.
- Bake bread for 5 minutes, then remove from oven, flip them over and put back in the oven for another 3-4 minutes, until bread is crisp but not completely hard. Remove bread from oven and sprinkle the olive oil side lightly with kosher or flaky sea salt. (Before sprinkling with salt you can rub the garlic clove over each the bread pieces, if you want garlic crostini).
- Enjoy!