Coach’s Crab Dip
Difficulty: Intermediate
Prep Time: Crab: 45 min-1 hr Dip: 5 min
Serves: 12
Attribute: Draeger’s Markets
Ingredients
Crab Boil
- 3-4 large Dungeness crabs
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 can or bottle of beer (we recommend an Amber Ale)
- 16 cups of water (fill the pot)
Dip
- 1 lb fresh crab meat
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 ¾ cups grated cheddar cheese
- ½ can Rotel (Mild, Original, or Hot depending on your crowd!)
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp parsley for garnish (optional)
Directions
To Boil Your Crabs:
Fill a large pot with the water, beer, salt, and Old Bay Seasoning. Bring the pot to a rolling boil and add your crabs.
Boil the crabs until they begin to float; depending upon size this can take anywhere from 10 – 20 minutes. Depending upon size, you may only have room for two crabs in your pot. You can solve this by either setting up a second large pot, or you can cook them in batches.
Once the crabs are floating, you should notice the crabs have turned from a brown color to a reddish color. Remove with tongs and set the crabs aside to cool before you handle them.
Once cooled, to crack your crabs: flip the crab onto its back. There is a triangle tail at the bottom, find it and pull it back until you can stick you thumbs between the top half and bottom half of the shell; pull apart.
Once the top is off the bottom, throw the top into the compost bin. Rinse the bottom thoroughly. Then, crack the crab in half in the middle, and rinse once more.
Next, tackle the legs. To separate them, push the joint closest to the body with your thumb, then twist and pull to separate.
If you are a visual learner, here is a video that may assist you.
Dip:
Preheat your oven to 375°.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, 1 cup cheddar cheese, Rotel, Worcestershire, lemon juice, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper. Stir until combined, then add the crab meat and stir in crab meat, mix well.
In a small casserole dish, spread the mixture, then top with the remaining shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until bubbly.
Top with the parsley garnish. Serve with tortilla chips, Draeger’s sliced baguette, or Wheat Thins.
