IN HONOR OF Crab Fest in Port Angeles last week — along with a visit from my mother, who loves crab and thus attends the festival yearly — I decided to make hot crab dip.
I’m not 100 percent sure where this recipe comes from.
My first memory of it is from a holiday party when I was in high school. One of my older sisters brought the dip along with French bread on which to eat it.
She arrived with the dip prepared in a crock pot but not hot. After plugging in the crock pot, she would check on it occasionally to stir it and ensure it didn’t burn.
Every time she lifted that lid, a delicious aroma filled the room.
And I was excited to learn that the dip was just as tasty as I had hoped.
When I moved out of my parents’ house a few years later, my mom gave me a small binder with some notecard recipes in it. She included the hot crab dip.
I’ve made it at least once a year for the past 10 years and it’s always delicious.
Last weekend was no exception.
While the dip was heating up in the small crock pot I have, my mom mentioned that the recipe came from my dad’s aunt.
This was news to me, as I’d always just assumed my sister had found the recipe in a magazine or received it from a friend.
Who knows where my great-aunt might have obtained this recipe, though? She could have invented it, she could have found it in an old cookbook or magazine, or she could have gotten it from another relative or some friend I’ve never heard of.
Despite the mysterious origins of this little dish, I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like it and it’s become a part of my family’s holiday spread each year, whether it shows up at Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s.
Occasionally it’s at all three gatherings.
And I’m sharing it here with all of you to enjoy.
Hot crab dip
12 ounces crab meat or imitation crab meat (I’m not going to lie, I always use imitation)
1/2 cup mayonaise
8 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese (I prefer mild)
1 tablespoon minced onion
Garlic powder and parsley to taste
Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and stir.
Add garlic powder and parsley to taste and stir.
Top with cheddar cheese and put the lid on the crock pot.
Check every 15 or so minutes. Heating time varies based on size of crock pot.
Serves well with bread rounds, crackers or on toasted English muffins.
Emily Hanson is a copy editor/paginator for the Peninsula Daily News. She is also a beginning baker and clumsy cook. She can be reached at 360-452-2345 ext. 560-50 or ehanson@peninsula dailynews.com.
