HOT SHRIMP AND CRABMEAT DIP

Here's another variation of the hot crabmeat dip -- this time with shrimp and artichokes. It's a winner.

Hot Shrimp and Crabmeat Dip
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
15-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined, cooked, chopped
1/2 lb. backfin or lump crabmeat
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine first 3 ingredients in medium mixing bowl, mixing well. Fold in artichoke hearts and seafood. Place in 1-1/2 quart buttered casserole dish and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Bake 20 minutes, or till bubbly and hot. Serve immediately with crackers.

STEAMED CRABS MARYLAND STYLE

This is how Gordon's of Orleans Street Restaurant in Baltimore, Maryland, does their crabs.

Steamed Crabs Maryland Style
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 lb. seafood seasoning
1/2 lb. salt (mix with seasoning)
2 doz. live blue crabs
1 pt. water or beer
1 pt. vinegar

Put water and vinegar in a 10-gallon pot. Place a layer of crabs on an elevated platform in the pot. Sprinkle each layer generously with seasoning mix. Put lid on pot and steam about 25 minutes.

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND CRAB SOUP, ADAPTED

Recently, we ate at Christoph's, a new restaurant in the Sheraton Grand in downtown New Bern. Someone in our party ordered the Butternut Squash Crab Soup, and I tasted it. It was beyond heavenly. So now I want to experiment with crab soups and work my way towards finding one that is as good as Christoph's. This recipe comes courtesy of Gail L. Harris and
Allrecipes, where it was rated 5 out of 5 by 24 members. With a rating that high, I thought I had to try it, especially since I had 6 red peppers sitting in my fridge (they were on sale, naturally).
I didn't have cayenne pepper, which the recipe called for, so I used my friend Sara's ground Thai peppers. When I tasted the soup, it was just a little bland, so I upped the salt and Thai peppers and added a little fresh grated nutmeg and paprika. We both liked this soup, but if Christoph's soup was a 10 out of 10, this was an 8 out of 10. 8 out of 10 is pretty good, but I'm still searching for the best crab bisque recipe.

Roasted Red Pepper and Crab Soup, adapted
INGREDIENTS:
2 red bell peppers
10-1/2 oz. low-sodium chicken broth
1 small potato, peeled, chopped
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne or other ground hot pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (I used McCormick California style, with parsley)
About 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil + leaves for garnish
1/4 tsp. grated fresh nutmeg
1/8 tsp. paprika + extra for sprinkling on top
1/3 lb. fresh crabmeat, cartilage removed
1-1/3 cups fat-free half and half (Land o'Lakes, only, because it won't curdle.)

Roast red peppers: Wash them and place them on a hot (400-425F) charcoal grill, turning as they blacken. (Alternately, you can broil them in your oven, turning them as they blacken.) As soon as the peppers are blackened all around, place them in a paper bag, or in a bowl covered with plastic wrap, and let them steam for approximately 10 minutes to loosen the skins. (You can also skip this step and substitute jarred roasted peppers.) Peel the skins and discard. Coarsely chop the peppers and place into a large saucepan along with the chicken broth and chopped potato. Bring to a boil over high heat, then add the seasonings. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes, or till everything is quite tender and cooked through and flavors have blended.

Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth. (Or, if you're lucky enough to own an immersion blender, puree the soup right in the pot.) Pour the soup back into the pot and stir in the crab and the half and half. Heat over medium heat to warm through, about 5-10 minutes.
Garnish each bowl of soup with a sprinkling of paprika and some basil leaves.
Yield: 2-3 servings
Note: The original recipe serves 6, and I made 1/3. Click on the Allrecipes link above to find the original recipe and the reviews.

SHRIMP STUFFED WITH CRABMEAT

Shrimp stuffed with crabmeat is a classic recipe that's been served in restaurants for decades. It's not hard to make, and I wish my photos had turned out better for you to see these. Guy did the cleaning, shucking and deveining and he forgot to leave the tails on. Yes, the tops got a little too brown, almost black, because the broiler unit was maybe too close; but they tasted great. Amazingly, these take almost no time to cook, so you do have to watch them closely once they get in the broiler. And if you have crabmeat left over, make one of the other recipes listed here, or freeze it for future use. (Don't freeze it too long -- a couple of weeks at best, because crab deteriorates in the freezer pretty quickly.)

Shrimp Stuffed with Crabmeat

16 jumbo shrimp, peeled (leave tails on for nice effect)

3 scallions, minced, with part of the green tops

1 stalk celery, minced

2 Tbsp. Smart Balance buttery spread or olive oil

1/2 lb. flaked crabmeat

1/2 cup fresh plain breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp. minced parsley

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. Smart Balance lite mayonnaise

Split shrimp lengthwise from the underside, remove vein, and lay open so a small pocket is formed. Saute' scallions and celery in Smart Balance for about 5 minutes, or till tender. Cool. Add remaining ingredients, mixing thoroughly.
Place about 2 Tbsp. crabmeat stuffing on each shrimp. Squeeze the mixture together with your fingers as you place it in the pocket of the shrimp.
Broil 4-6 minutes or until shrimp turns opaque.

CRAB BISCUITS

Here's an easy appetizer for your next get-together, courtesy of Newtown Catering Services, Pocomoke City, Maryland.

Crab Biscuits
10-oz. pkg. refrigerated biscuit dough
1/2 lb. crabmeat, cartilage removed
1/4 cup Lite Mayonnaise
1 tsp. prepared mustard
5 slices American cheese

Cut biscuit dough into quarters. Bake according to package directions. Combine crabmeat, mayo and mustard, mixing thoroughly.

Slice each biscuit in half, 3/4 of the way through; open gently, and fill with about 1/2 tsp. crabmeat mixture. Cut each slice of cheese into eighths. Top each biscuit with a piece of cheese.

Arrange biscuits on cookie sheet and cover with aluminum foil. This can be done ahead of time and refrigerated. When ready to serve, put covered biscuits in 250-300F oven and bake until cheese melts and crabmeat mixture is hot, about 20 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 40 appetizers.

LOW-FAT CRUSTLESS CRAB QUICHE

This is one of those recipes that's been in my file and I don't know where or when I got it. I've adapted it to lower-fat ingredients. Crab and quiche -- two faves -- how can you go wrong on this one? Serve it with a green salad and some nice garlic bread.

Low-Fat Crustless Crab Quiche
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp. Smart Balance buttery spread or extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lb. thinly sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 lb. backfin crabmeat, shell and cartilage removed
2 cups shredded or coarsely grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese, low-fat if available
4 eggs
1 cup lite sour cream
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. sea salt
6 drops Tabasco sauce

Preheat oven to 350F. Heat a large, heavy fry pan on medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the Smart Balance and mushrooms and saute 1 minute. Add green onions and saute till mushrooms and onions are tender and cooked.

Place crabmeat on the bottom of a 10" quiche dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray; spoon mushrooms and green onions on top of the crabmeat. Sprinkle half the cheese over the mushrooms and onions; set aside.

In the workbowl of a food processor (or blender), process remaining 6 ingredients until smooth. Pour over other ingredients in quiche dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake about 45 minutes or until knife inserted 2 " from center returns clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
Yield: 6-8 servings

CRISFIELD CRAB BURGERS

Crisfield, Maryland, is the home of this recipe. Read about Crisfield at Wikipedia, and check out their photo of Crisfield's water tower with the Crab Logo. There are some serious crabbers in that town, and this is a serious crab sandwich. This recipe comes courtesy of the Maryland Dept. of Economic and Community Development, Office of Seafood Marketing, who published "Maryland Seafood Cookbook I, Traditional Tidewater Recipes." If you try it, come on back and leave a comment by clicking on the comment link at the end of this or any post.

Crisfield Crab Burgers
1 lb. crabmeat
2 Tbsp. minced green pepper
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 Tbsp. minced onion
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup small cubes mild cheese
few drops Worcestershire sauce
few drops hot sauce
salt, to taste
lemon and pepper seasoning, to taste
8 hamburger buns split in half
grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Remove cartilage from crabmeat. Mix crabmeat with all but the last two ingredients. Put hamburger buns on a cookie sheet and lightly brown under broiler. Remove from heat and spread crabmeat mixture on bottom of buns. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top. Broil 4 inches from broiler, until lightly browned and bubbly. Serve at once. Yield: 8 servings