Warm Crab Dip

I really like dip. I like dip of every kind. There isn't a dip out there that I don't like. I really like crab. I can dominate crab legs like a champ. So, imagine my bliss when I stumbled upon a recipe for warm crab dip. 

Before you even start making the dip, you must make sure your audience is happy. Mine wanted fruit snacks. She also wanted to do some mixing so I put a little flour in that green bowl, a couple drops of water, and gave her a spoon. The fruit snacks trumped the wet mush in the bowl.

Now that the audience was all set with a snack, I could start the dip. The first step is to melt some butter in a pan and saute some garlic and onions on low for a few minutes.

It smells so good.

After the onions start to soften, add some Old Bay seasoning and stir it in completely.  Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Throw some cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise in a bowl. Using an hand mixer, beat on low until creamy and smooth.

Add Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and milk. Continue to mix until well blended and smooth.

Time to tend to the audience. We are big cheese eaters in this joint. You know how a dog can hear when the treat container is opened and they immediately come running for the delicious morsel of goodness? Well, my kids do that with cheese. Whenever I get out a bag of shredded cheese, they come running into the kitchen, mouth open, head tipped back, waiting for a little pinch.

My cheese-freak audience stood at attention when I got the bag of cheese out. She giggled, opened her mouth, and waited.

Oops, you forgot a little something there sweetie. Such those little strings in. Don't let any of it fall! She used the back of the hand technique to push it in. Smart cookie.

Back to the dip. Add the onion and garlic mixture, lump crab meat, and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. My mouth was watering while standing there. I snuck a little piece of crab. I had to test it, you know, to make sure it was acceptable.

Pour the dip into a small baking dish.

The final step of the assembly of the dip is to cover it in cheese. I was sold before this step, but I am never going to say, "Nah, we don't need anymore cheese." That is blasphemy. There can always be more cheese. Especially when that cheese is going to get cooked and melt itself all over the top of a delicious dip.

My audience is helping me clean up the little stragglers of cheese, except instead of picking up the cheese on the cutting board, she started taking it off the dip. Stinker.

I forgot to take pictures before this of the bread I made for the dip. I made a French loaf, cooled it, and then sliced it into half in pieces. I then brushed them with olive oil and sprinkled them with pepper. You could leave them with just the oil or you could use garlic powder or even rub garlic on them. You can do what ever your little hear desires. You could also use bagel chips or any type of cracker. Breadsticks would be good, too.

Anyway. I baked the slices at 250 degrees for about ten minutes. After they cooled, the became nice and crunchy.

Bake the dip at 375 degrees for 25-30 minute. It gets all bubbly around the edges and the cheese gets all melty and good. Let it cool for a few minutes before digging in. We did not eat it all but it tasted better the next day after the flavors all melded together.

This is a nice dip to have in your repertoire when you need to bring an appetizer somewhere or if you are having guests. The taste of the crab was mild but perfectly present. Even though crab is expensive, the small amount needed for this dip kept the cost of preparation reasonable.

Here is the recipe if you want to try it! I can not remember where I got it from, but I think it may have been familyfun.com.

Warm Crab Dip

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves minced garlic

2 teaspoons Old Bay seafood seasoning

4 oz. cream cheese

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup milk

8 oz. lump crab meat

1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

Lightly grease a small, shallow baking dip. Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the onion and garlic. Saute over low heat for five minutes. Add the Old Bay seasoning and stir for 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Place cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise in a bowl. Blend on low until smooth and creamy. Add Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and milk. Blend until smooth. With a spoon, stir in crab meat, half of the cheese, and the onion/garlic mixture.

Transfer to the dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on the top. Back 25-30 minutes until the dip is bubbly and the cheese is melted.

Dip or scoop, whatever your method, but just don't double dip.