There are many different species of crabs that are found along the eastern seaboard of the United States. In northern New England rock and Jonah crabs are plentiful. In Massachusetts, species such as Atlantic Blue Crab are often found in fisheries. Florida boasts Stone Crabs, who are quite famous for their large claws. And of course, one would be remiss if they didn’t mention the Chesapeake Bay where the largest amount of crabs is harvested along the eastern seaboard in the United States.
Out west, one can find Pacific Dungeness Crab as well many Alaskan crab varieties such as King Crab and Opilio. Though these varieties are often eaten simply with drawn butter, using their crab meat in a dip is a great way to explore new crab recipes. Here is a Crab and Artichoke Dip recipe that will leave your guests hungry for more and asking for the recipe so that they may serve it at their dinner parties.
Things You’ll Need
- 1 cup crab meat (about the meat from 6 to 8 crabs)
- 1 large can of quartered artichoke hearts
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 garlic gloves
- 2 shallots
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
- Old Bay Seasoning
- Butter
- Ritz crackers
- Baguette
- Small casserole dish
- Garlic press
- Food processor
Assembling the Crab and Artichoke Dip
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Place a half stick of butter into a small sauce pan and heat on low until it is completely melted.
- Crumble some Ritz crackers into the sauce pan and stir until the melted butter and crackers are mixed.
- Combine the crab meat, artichoke hearts, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Old Bay Seasoning, salt and pepper into the food processor.
- Press one clove of garlic into the food processor
- Dice one shallot roughly and toss into the food processor.
- Pulse the ingredients in the food processor until they are well mixed.
- Put the mixed crab and artichoke dip into the casserole dish.
- Layer the mixture Ritz crackers and butter on top.
- Place in the oven until it is heated through and the Ritz cracker topping starts to brown (about 6 minutes.)
- Slice the baguette into rounds to be served with the dip.
- Remove the crab and artichoke dip from the oven and serve straight away while still hot.
Try Clams and the Lobster as Substitutes
This recipe can easily be altered by using either freshly cooked clams or lobster meat. A couple of cans of clams from the pantry will suffice for the clam version, and purchasing a bag of frozen lobster meat already shelled will make the lobster version easy to make as well.
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