The Easy Appetizer I Make Every Single New Year's Eve

The holiday season is filled with a string of traditions, especially in the kitchen. From monkey bread on Christmas morning to from-scratch lasagna the night before, my family has come to love a particular schedule of dishes over the holidays. This appetizer has been on our menu for New Year's Eve forever, and it also happens to be one of the easiest recipes I make in our lineup.

I like this creamy crab dip because it feels special and isn’t something that I would make regularly (even though you could because it’s very easy). Even canned crab can be fairly expensive per ounce, so I like to save this recipe for special occasions. When the dip comes out of the oven, bubbling hot and smelling delicious, your hungry guests will want to dive in immediately.

What Kind of Crab To Use

Because this dip involves mixing crab with cream cheese and seasonings, there’s no need to use fresh crab for this recipe. Canned crab meat works just fine, but I do prefer lump crab meat over minced.

Most importantly, when you open your can of crab meat, be sure to drain the meat well before adding it to the dip. Press out the liquid so the meat looks on the dry side. This will ensure that your dip isn’t too watery.

How To Make My New Year’s Eve Hot Crab Dip

To make four servings, you’ll need:

• Nonstick cooking spray or softened butter

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 1 (6-ounce) can lump crab meat, drained well

• 1 tablespoon minced chives, plus more for garnish

• 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

• 1 clove garlic, grated or minced

• Toasted baguette or crackers, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 2-cup (or slightly larger) ramekin or small baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or butter.

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, drained crab meat, chives, Old Bay seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and garlic. Mix together well and taste, adding more seasoning as needed. Transfer to the greased baking dish. Place the dish on a baking sheet in case it overflows slightly during baking.

Bake the dip until it is bubbling and completely melted with a slightly browned crust on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve the dip garnished with extra chives and served alongside toasted baguette or crackers.

Making Ahead and Reheating

You can definitely stir this crab dip together and get it ready in the dish in advance, then bake it off just before serving. There’s no real advantage to baking it in advance, as you would still want to reheat it in the oven and serve it nice and warm. If you’re baking the dip cold from the fridge, add 5 minutes or so to the bake time.

If you have leftover dip (unlikely!), it will keep great in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat the leftovers in the oven at 350°F until warmed through, 10 to 15 minutes.

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