Jalapeno Crab Dip

Jalapeno Crab Dip is a deliciously cheesy baked dip, served warm, with a little kick from jalapenos and hot sauce.

My sister-in-law makes this wonderful dip for every Thanksgiving get-together. 

This year we didn't travel to her home this year and I sure missed the dip.  Mostly missed visiting with the family, but missed this dip, too!

The original recipe is an old one from Emeril Lagasse's Everyday is A Party Cookbook and I've adapted it a little more towards our tastes (i.e., less salty and less spicy).

The ingredients are easy to get ahold of locally and the end result is a wonderful party dip.  Cheesy, warm, and oh, so good with your favorite crackers or croutons.

A Few Tips I've Learned Along the Way:

• You can use fresh lump crab meat or canned.  I use canned - be sure it says 'lump crab meat' on the can instead of the shredded crab meat.  It makes a nicer dip.
• Kick up the heat - the original crab dip recipe calls for ½ cup of pickled jalapenos.  I like hot and spicy, but this was too much for me.  You can experiment with heat level to your tastes.
• Use Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese - it has a different flavor and slightly different texture than Parmesan and works great in this recipe.  You can find it in your local grocery's deli or cheese section.
• This dip is so flavorful, you'll want to use crackers that are on the plain side so they won't clash with the dip flavor.

The part I like best about the dip is the crusty brown outer edge.  That Parmigiano-Reggiano gets crisp and chewy around the edges and is great!  

It's hard to find a good appetizer that you can serve at room temperature - seems like they all need to be served while warm.  That's kind of tricky when you're transporting the appetizer and it cools off before people get a chance to enjoy it.

This Jalapeno Crab Dip is best served warm, but is OK cooled off a bit, too.  This will be a good New Year's eve appetizer or a quick fix for the Super Bowl.

It's really hard to stop eating this delicious, substantial dip!

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Jalapeno Crab Dip

Yield: 20 appetizers

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Delicious cheesy crab dip, served warm, with a bit of a kick.

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Ingredients

• 2 cans (6 oz each) lump crab meat
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ¼ C  chopped pickled jalapenos
• ¼ lb Monterey Jack cheese with jalapenos, grated
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ½ C mayonnaise
• 2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
• Various crackers for dipping

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Combine the crab meat, garlic, jalapenos, Monterey Jack, Worcestershire, hot sauce, salt, and mayonnaise in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir to completely combine.
3. Pour the crab mixture into a 8 to 9" pie plate and sprinkle the Parmigiano evenly on top.
4. Bake until golden brown and bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

This is an old Emeril Lagasse recipe that I adapted just a bit - the original amount of jalapeno was ½ cup, but I found it way too spicy (and I like spicy).

Original recipe calls for 1 pound of lump crab meat. You can use fresh or canned - I chose to use two 6 oz. cans of lump crabmeat.

I also cut the salt from ½ teaspoon to ⅛ teaspoon.

I use Cholula for the hot sauce - it's very flavorful. You could also use Tabasco.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1 tbsp
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 82Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 216mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 4g

Nutrition Values are Approximate