Hot Crab Dip

Crab Dip Highlights

• Not too gloopy + bold flavor - Using higher amounts of sour cream/mayo not only has an unappealing gloop factor but also dilutes the crab flavor. This crab dip recipe uses just enough sour cream and mayo to form a perfectly creamy consistency but still lets all that bold crab flavor shine.
• It's a slightly more affordable way to eat crab - I cringe when I see a recipe for crab dip that calls for jumbo lump. Uffa! Crab meat is broken up into smaller bits for crab dip, so it's not worth it to pay for the premium of those jumbo whole pieces. Please save your money; crab meat is pricey enough.
• Jalapeño for flair - The bites you'll get with jalapeño are really good - it's crab dip through and through but with the slightest whisper of a jalapeño popper. The seeds are removed so it's really not spicy.

Key Ingredients for Maryland Crab Dip

• Crab meat: True fresh crab is hard-to-impossible to find outside of certain regions, so I prefer to buy refrigerated pasteurized crab meat from the seafood department as the next best thing. These usually come in 8-ounce tubs. Look for ones labeled lump, backfin, or special. Don't spend the extra money on jumbo lump - we don't want big chunks of meat in crab dip.
• Cream cheese, sour cream, mayo: A rich and creamy trifecta. All regular/full-fat kinds will obviously bring the most luxurious flavor, though use your preferred types. I would not recommend using all of the reduced-fat/light varieties, but if you've got an open tub of light sour cream to use up, for instance, that's just fine.
• Old Bay: A classic in Maryland-style crab dip, not substitutable. Dry mustard powder and garlic powder join in for background flavor.
• Cheddar cheese: White or yellow, you pick. I prefer the extra-sharp kind, but just 'sharp' is good, too.
• Jalapeño pepper, hot sauce: A few dashes of an all-purpose hot sauce and two tablespoons of finely-diced jalapeño (removing the seeds cuts down on spice) work together to bring flavor more-so than heat.

Easy Steps

1. Step 1: Beat softened cream cheese with an electric mixer for a minute or so until nice and creamy, then beat in everything but the crab meat, cheese, and jalapeño.

2. Step 2: Stir the crab meat, 1 cup of the cheese, and jalapeño into the dip mixture by hand until evenly combined.

3. Step 3: Turn out the crab dip into a greased baking dish, top with remaining cheese and Old Bay, then bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, until bubbly and browned.

4. Step 4: Slice a baguette nearly all the way through, then stick in the oven for a few minutes to heat. Serve alongside the hot crab dip.

My Favorite Way to Eat Crab Dip

If I see a crab pretzel on a restaurant menu, game over. I can't resist. Crab dip has a really thick consistency that stays put on a pretzel. If you've never partaken, it's a whole lot less messy to eat than you might think.

To make an easy crab pretzel at home, prepare hot crab dip as you would normally, then dollop it across the top surface of a soft pretzel. Don't be shy, load that baby up. Then top with shredded cheddar cheese and an Old Bay sprinkle. Bake this at 350°F until the cheese melts and starts browning, usually 5-10 minutes or so.

Full disclosure: I don't have it in me to make real deal soft pretzels from scratch. I lean on the grocery store's bread department where I can find a fresh four-pack, but they're more readily available frozen, too.

Tips and Tricks

• Expect crab meat to have a slight scent - The nature of refrigerated and pasteurized crab meat is that it will have a very slight briny scent once the top is popped. The key word is slight! If the smell is overpowering, ammonia-y, or otherwise gives you a gut feeling like something's off, it's likely spoiled. I've had to return a tub to the store before because of this - the smell was way more strong than usual and had an edge of something not right.
• Refrigerated crab alternatives - You'll notice shelf-stable canned crab meat next to the tuna, as well as imitation crab meat in the seafood department. While it doesn't have as good of a flavor as the refrigerated tubs, canned crab meat is more affordable and fine to use in crab dip. Three six-ounce cans will do the trick. I would not substitute imitation crab in this recipe as it has a different flavor altogether.
• Ahead-of-time prep - Crab dip can be prepared up to a day ahead of time, kept covered and refrigerated, until ready to bake and serve. Just be sure that your baking dish of choice is okay with a sudden temperature swing from the refrigerator to a pre-heated oven.
• What to serve with crab dip - Borrowing this one from that Eastern Shore dock bar. Crab dip comes with crusty baguette, cut into quarter-inch thick slices nearly all the way through, and warmed. Everyone can tear off a slice, which is crisp around the edges but still softer in the center and easy to chew (we're not going full crostini).

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