Spicy Crab Dip

This style of crab dip, often referred to as Maryland crab dip because of its Chesapeake Bay origins, makes for a festive appetizer. Here, it’s served hot out of the oven and is extra creamy thanks to the combination of cream cheese and a little mayonnaise. Though crabs are plentiful this time of year — and you can certainly make this with freshly steamed and picked meat if you’d like — canned lump crabmeat makes this dish simple to assemble. Just be careful to leave the clumps of meat as intact as possible when mixing. A sprinkle of cayenne pepper and a generous douse of hot sauce add heat to this flavorful dish.

Ingredients

• 1

  tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, for greasing

• 8

  ounces cream cheese, softened

• ½

  cup mayonnaise

• 1

  shallot, minced

• 2

  tablespoons minced chives, plus more for garnish

• 2

  garlic cloves, minced

• 2 ½

  teaspoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

• 1 ¼

  teaspoons Cajun seasoning

• ½

  teaspoon mustard powder

• 1 ½

  teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

• ⅓

  cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

• 8

  ounces lump crabmeat, drained and picked through for shells

• Black pepper

• 5

  butter crackers, finely ground, plus more for serving

• Ground cayenne, for serving

• Hot sauce, for serving

• Sliced toasted baguette, for serving

• Celery sticks and carrots, for serving

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8-inch cast iron skillet or 1-quart baking dish with butter.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, shallot, chives, garlic, lemon juice, Cajun seasoning, mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce and 1/3 cup Parmesan. Stir until well combined. Add the crabmeat and gently stir until just combined, trying to not break up the large lumps. Season with pepper to taste.
3. Scrape into the prepared skillet and smooth the top. Sprinkle the ground butter crackers and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan on top.
4. Bake until golden brown and bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with ground cayenne, hot sauce and chives. Serve with baguette, celery sticks, carrots, additional crackers and more hot sauce.