Noreen's Kitchen

Festive Cold Crab Dip

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WELCOME TO MY KITCHEN! I COOK REAL FOOD FOR REAL PEOPLE LIKE YOUR MOM OR YOUR GRANDMA DID BECAUSE THAT IS HOW I LEARNED FROM MY PASTRY CHEF MOM AND FANTASTIC, OLD WORLD GRANDMOTHERS!IF YOU ARE HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME, I INVITE YOU TO HAVE A LOOK AROUND AND EXPLORE SOME OF MY QUICK, EASY TO UNDERSTAND AND DELICIOUS RECIPES! COME SPEND SOME TIME WITH ME AND MY FAMILY LEARNING HOW TO COOK, PURE, WHOLESOME FOOD! I HOPE YOU TRY THESE RECIPES AND I HOPE YOU LOVE THEM! HAPPY EATING!

Ingredients

Festive Cold Crab Dip

Hi! I'm Noreen, wife, mother of two amazing, almost grown, daughters, content creator, cook, baker and sister in Christ. Welcome to my Kitchen! I hope you stick around, enjoy the recipes and share them with those you love!

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon seafood seasoning
2 cups cocktail sauce
Additional crab meat and green onions for topping

2 bricks (8 Ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups lump crab meat * (see note)
½ cup green onion, chopped
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon onion powder

1 Cup good quality mayonnaise
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Step by Step Instructions

Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add in lemon juice, seasonings, half the green onion and 1 cup of the crab meat.

Blend on low speed until well incorporated.

Spread the cream cheese mixture, evenly into the bottom of a pie plate.

Top with cocktail sauce and dress with additional crab meat and green onions.

This can be served immediately or covered with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator. This can be made up to two days in advance of any event where you plan to serve it.

Serve with butter crackers such as Ritz, Club or Town house as well as thin sliced baguette and celery sticks.

Leftovers can be kept for up to three days.

NOTE: If you do not have access to or the budget to afford fresh lump crab meat you can use 2 4-ounce cans of crab meat that have been drained and flaked. You can also use an equal amount of imitation crab meat that has been flaked or chopped. These all taste great and you can choose which is best for you.

I use my “Old School Cocktail Sauce” Recipe for the top of this dip.

As promised in the last video today I am sharing this delicious, simple, cold crab dip that is perfect for any time, but especially nice during the holidays! This is simple to whip up even on a moments notice and really requires not hold time before enjoying. If friends drop by you can mix this up and share right away! This has been a family favorite for a long time in my family. Brought to us by a friend over 20 years ago. This crab dip stands the test of time and I know you will love it!

When I say this is an oldie but a goodie, I am not kidding! This crab dip hearkens back to a time of cocktail parties and vodka gimlets. When people had bridge nights and ladies wore dresses and gloves to play cards at their friends house. A far cry from our casual lives now where we "Netflix and chill" and order food on our phone apps. While all that is lovely, taking a page from the old school and enjoying a retro recipe is always a welcomed treat!

I got this recipe from a friend over 20 years ago. Her name was Rose Phelan at the time. She was a young mom with five small boys who had a love for crafts that drove her to open a shop to sell her creations. One Christmas she invited us to her home for a holiday get together and served this amazing dip. The rest, as they say, is history. I love knowing where a recipe came from. The reality is, this was probably printed in a women's magazine in the 50s using ingredients that would be easily accessible during that time. Canned crab, cream cheese and even prepared, bottle cocktail sauce. A respite for the harried housewife to make an easy offering for last minute guests. That paints a real picture. One of where we have been and where we have come.

All that aside, make this dip! Which is really more of a spread than a dip and should be served with a spreader for ease of the person enjoying it. This all starts out with a couple bricks of softened cream cheese beaten till light and fluffy. Then you are going to add a good amount of crab meat. I am using fresh, lump crab meat but you can use a couple cans of canned crab, drained and flaked or even an equal amount of imitation crab meat that has been flaked or chopped into small pieces. You decide what to use based on your availability in your area. Living on the coast affords me the ability to get fresh, atlantic blue crab that is pulled from the ocean and picked the same day. You may not have that luxury where you live. No matter what you choose is still going to be delicious. When I first tasted this dip it was made with canned crab because there isn't fresh seafood in Arizona!

Once the cream cheese is whipped, add in the crab, lemon juice, green onions and seasonings, then continue to whip to combine. Spread into a pie plate (my serving dish of choice because of it's depth) and top with one recipe of my homemade cocktail sauce. Add some more lump crab meat and green onions to the top and bam! You are ready to enjoy a wonderful appetizer or snack with family and friends.

This retro recipe is one that should not be forgotten. It should be enjoyed and passed down. As all favorite recipes should. It's what keeps alive those who have gone before and stokes the memories of holidays and gatherings past. Making and sharing a family favorite with others is just spreading the love of what you remember in your life. It helps to enrich our lives. It helps to keep memories of loved ones alive and it is just fun to eat good food.

I hope that you give this cold crab dip a try for the holidays or anytime, sometime soon and I hope you love it!

Happy Eating and Happy Holidays!