This Hot Crab Dip recipe is an absolute outstanding way to celebrate the humble crab. Made with cream cheese instead of mayo, this dip recipe is packed with classic flavors including shallots and Old Bay seasoning. 

I don’t know what it is, but even in the middle of the summer, a hot and cheesy dip always sounds like a good plan. It doesn’t seem to matter how much a kitchen can suffer from oven heat in July; as long as the dip is worth it, I don’t mind. 

And this hot crab dip is worth it. Actually, it’s perfect any time of the year but summer seems the right time for a crab dip, doesn’t it?

I pulled this dip together the night before my family’s lobster and clambake last month then popped it in the oven for about 35 minutes right before the party started.

Out came a bubbling dish of cracker-crusted cheesy crab dip, not with wisps of crab meat here and there, but HUNKS of lump crab in every bite. It’s kept super creamy with the addition of cream cheese and half-and-half (so, definitely not health food) and it won’t seize up when it cools like so many cheesy dips can do – my cheese dip nemesis. 

Ingredients

Here’s the basic shopping list for this dip but be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full list.

• unsalted butter
• shallots
• cayenne pepper
• Old Bay seasoning
• dry mustard powder
• dry white wine
• half-and-half
• full-fat cream cheese
• sharp white cheddar cheese
• Gouda cheese
• fresh lemon juice
• Worcestershire sauce
• lump crab meat
• fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Ritz or butter crackers

If there’s one thing I would do differently next time, it would be to make more dip because again, it’s another dish I was sad to see come to an end.

More Fancy-ish Appetizer Recipes

• Bacon Wrapped Dates with Cranberry Stilton
• Baked Brie with Fig Jam and Honey
• Caramelized Onion and Brie Tartlets
• Bruschetta with Sweet Sauteed Peppers and Gorgonzola

Continue to Content

Hot Crab Dip

Yield: Enough for a big crowd

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Hot crab dip is a fabulous way for you to ramp up your appetizer dip game. You can make this dip a day or two in advance; just cover and refrigerate the dip before you bake it, adding 5 to 7 minutes to the baking time if the dip is baked right from the fridge.

Print

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 medium shallots, minced
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
• 2 tsp dry mustard
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 1 ¼ cup half-and-half
• 12 oz (1 ½ bricks) cream cheese, cut into small pieces
• 4 oz sharp white cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 ½ cups)
• 4 oz Gouda cheese, grated (about 1 ½ cups)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 16 oz raw lump crabmeat, picked over for cartilage and broken up into smaller hunks of meat
• ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
• ½ sleeve of Ritz or butter crackers, crushed into pea-sized pieces

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. You'll need a 13x9-inch or 3-quart baking dish - no need to grease it.
2. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the shallots, cayenne, Old Bay, and dry mustard, and cook until the shallots have softened, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook for 1 minute, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pan.
3. Stir in the half-and-half and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the cream cheese a couple ounces at a time, whisking to incorporate the cheese before adding more. Turn down the heat to low. By the handful, stir in the shredded cheddar and Gouda, again combining into the mixture before adding more. Stir in the lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce and allow the whole mixture to warm through for 3 to 5 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Fold in the crab and half of the parsley.
4. Transfer the dip to the baking dish and bake the dip for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle crushed crackers over the top. Continue to bake for an additional 10 to 12 minutes, until the dip is hot and bubbly. If the crackers seems to brown too quickly, lay a piece of aluminum foil over the top towards the end. Let the dip rest for 10 minutes before sprinkling the remaining parsley over the top and serving.

Notes

adapted from Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook

Recommended Products

As a member of the Amazon Associate affiliate program, I earn a small percentage from your qualifying Amazon purchases when you click the Amazon links on this page. I'm not informed of who purchases what, just of what products are purchased.

• 
  Pyrex Basics 3 Quart Glass Oblong Baking Dish with Red Plastic Lid -13.2 INCH x 8.9inch x 2 inch
• 
  Oval Au Gratin Baking Dishes, Rarebit, Fine White Porcelain 9.25 Inches Set Of 6 (9.25" 6 PACK)

How much do you love this recipe?

Follow Smells Like Home on Pinterest and click that little Pin button at the top of this recipe card to save this recipe and share with your Pinterest followers!