Description
Creamy, cheesy, and packed with tender lump crab meat, this Maryland Crab Dip is a warm, crowd-pleasing appetizer seasoned with Old Bay, lemon, and Worcestershire sauce. Baked until hot and golden, it’s perfect for serving with toasted baguette slices at holidays, game days, parties, and family gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 ounces whipped cream cheese
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, optional
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 pound jumbo lump or lump crab meat, checked for shells
- 1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
- Sliced and toasted baguette, for serving
- Cooking spray, for greasing the baking dish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a shallow baking dish or pie dish with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the whipped cream cheese, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, Old Bay Seasoning, and lemon juice. Stir until smooth and well combined.
- Add the crab meat, half of the Monterey Jack cheese, and half of the mozzarella cheese. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold everything together. Avoid overmixing so the larger pieces of crab remain intact.
- Transfer the crab mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly.
- Sprinkle the remaining Monterey Jack and mozzarella cheese over the top.
- Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the dip is heated through and the cheese on top is melted and golden.
- Remove from the oven and let the dip rest for a few minutes. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
- Serve the Maryland Crab Dip warm with sliced and toasted baguette, crackers, crostini, or fresh vegetables.
Notes
- Crab meat: Jumbo lump crab meat gives the dip larger, more noticeable pieces of crab, but regular lump crab meat works well too.
- Fold gently: Don’t aggressively stir the crab into the filling or those beautiful lumps can break apart.
- Hot sauce: It’s optional and can be increased or decreased according to your preferred heat level.
- Old Bay: Taste before adding extra salt because Old Bay, Worcestershire sauce, cheese, and crab already contribute plenty of savory flavor.
- Make ahead: Assemble the dip, cover, and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake. A refrigerated dip may require a few additional minutes in the oven.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3 days.
- Serving: Toasted baguette is ideal, but crackers, pita chips, crostini, celery, cucumber, and bell pepper slices also work well.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American, Maryland
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of dip
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg