Last week was my sister in law’s birthday and my brother decided to throw her a Bad Tapas Party. The idea is that everyone brings a tapas sized portion of something really unhealthy and delicious. The thought was if everything was in small portions than it wasn’t so bad. The dinner was a great idea and we feasted on Popeye’s Chicken, Buffalo Chicken Dip, Mini Cheesesteaks, Mini Hotdogs, Potato Skins, Ribs from Urban BBQ, Assorted Cheeses, and Mini Cheesecakes from Capitol City Cheesecake.
My addition to the party was Chili Garlic Crab Dip. I found the recipe randomly on the internet and decided to give it a go. Chef Michael Schwartz of Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in Miami pairs lump crab meat with sour cream, garlic, lime and Thai Chili paste. As a Maryland boy, I am more of a traditionalist with my crab dip, but this sounded quite tasty. I was a bit alarmed that the recipe calls for pureeing lump crab, why would you puree $18 a pound lump crab meat? I took a kettle cooked potato chip scooped my first taste and knew immediately that this dip is going in my permanent appetizer rotation. It is phenomenal. You can serve it as a dip or you can stuff into lobster tails, shrimp, even serve it on a grilled chicken sandwich or a burger. Very versatile. It was the crowd favorite of the Bad Tapas Party.
Garlic Chile Crab Dip
Recipe courtesy of chef Michael Schwarz of Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 large white onion, small dice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound Blue Star Foods regular lump crab meat
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons sambal
- 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 3 scallions, minced
- Zest of 1/2 lime
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
Directions
1. In a large pan over medium heat, add the butter, olive oil, and garlic.
2. Cook for 1 minute, and then add the onion and salt.
3. Sauté until the onions are translucent, about 7 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and set aside.
5. In a large bowl, add the crab meat, sour cream, buttermilk, sambal, and Old Bay. Mix to combine.
6. Add the warm onion mixture and stir until fully incorporated.
7. Transfer half of the mixture to a food processor and puree.
8. Transfer the puree back to the bowl with the unprocessed half of the mixture and fold in the scallions, and lime zest until fully incorporated.
9. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Serve with thick cut potato chips.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
It was delicious and it had a little kick. I also want to plug the “bad food tapas” idea. It’s a great time and when it goes viral – we should get the credit/royalties.
Looks amazing…I must make this!
What do you think about siracha over sambal?
I would try the sambal if you can find it, the sriracha may be a bit strong w/out the sweet chili tang of the sambal, but give it a shot and let me know how it works.