Italian’s Christmas traditions include “Feast of the 7 Fishes” – a lavish meal consisting of (at least) 7 kinds of seafood, enjoyed on Christmas Eve. And no matter how many intricate seafood dishes I make, the absolute crowd favorite is always crab dip. I’ve tried to impress with lobster ravioli and clams casino. I’ve even invested in a deep fryer to make fresh calamari, but no, this easy, cheesy crab dip is always the winner. I can’t say I’m surprised, I often pour this single recipe into two baking dishes so I have a side stash of my own, I eat this thing by the spoonful, no need for crackers; I’ve used it as an omelet filling for the next day’s breakfast and I’m pretty sure this recipe is how I finally convinced my future father-in-law that I actually know what I’m doing in the kitchen. But knowing how easy this recipe is, the chef in me is always a little sad acknowledging that anyone can make this recipe. So let your guests “ooh and ahh” over this gooey goodness – but let’s keep how simple this recipe actually is, between us. Enjoy!
Creamy Crab Dip
Active Time: 15 min
Total Time: 1 Hour
Servings: 10-12
Ingredients
- 16OZ. CREAM CHEESE, SOFTENED
- 8 OZ. SOUR CREAM
- 4 TBS MAYONNAISE
- 1 TSP LEMON JUICE
- 1 TSP DRY MUSTARD
- ¼ TSP GARLIC SALT
- 1 LB BACKFIN CRABMEAT
- 1 CUP SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE, DIVIDED
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees
- Mix together all of the ingredients, except for the crab and cheddar cheese. You can use a blender, stand mixer, hand mixer, or even mix by hand if the cream cheese is soft enough.
- Gently fold in the crab and most of the cheddar cheese by hand, leaving just enough cheese to top the dip, being careful not to break up too much of the crab as you want to keep the lumps.
- Pour into baking dish. An 8×8 works perfectly, but you can use whatever you have/prefer based on how deep vs. wide you want the dip to be. Bake for 45 minutes and then sprinkle remaining cheese on top as a garnish
- Serve warm with mild crackers or vegetable crudité
About Chef Gina Veneziano
Chef Gina has spent a lifetime in food – from the butcher shop to food trucks, and catering kitchens to innovation kitchens. She prides herself in being the only person to successfully recreate her grandmother’s famous meatballs. You can usually catch her, apron on, and a glass of prosecco in hand – cheers!
