The Family That Cooks- Janelle's Crab Dip

My family is full of great cooks. Holidays and get togethers with my family always include some amazing homemade foods, especially appetizers and snack foods. We definitely love our snack foods. My son in law is the cheese ball master. The girls in the family make fancy cheese plates, delicious appetizers and all kinds of different dips and spreads. In fact, it's not uncommon for us to eat up all the snacks and appetizers and have no room for the turkey and trimmings!

You know when you get together with friends, maybe it's a Super Bowl party, or a neighborhood barbeque, or even the office potluck, and you have to sit and think about what to make? Do you have a go-to recipe for a great dish to share? I have a couple but I like to switch it up and try new things once in a while as well. My daughter in law shared this recipe with me, as well a sample before she brought it to a friend's house for a party, and it was awesome! 

Normally I am a strong and loud spokesperson for real crab and protest loudly against the use of fake crab, or surimi as it's sometimes called. My mind is changing! Besides being a common ingredient in sushi, which I love, and several delicious recipes that my friends have shared with me, I'm really beginning to appreciate this often maligned ingredient as a pretty good replacement for the real thing!

That's where my daughter in law, Janelle's dip come in. Loaded with finely chopped artificial crab, fresh veggies and a lime-infused mayo from the Hispanic market, piled high on a crispy cracker and topped with the slightest drizzle of spicy hot sauce, it's absolutely scrumptious. You can use any hot sauce you like, but Janelle recommends Valentina brand. 

This sauce was smooth, thick and spicy and not messy when drizzled over the top of the dip. It had a smoky quality to it too that went really well with the sweetness of the crab. If you like, you could spread the dip out onto a plate instead of a bowl and drizzle the sauce over the entire dip instead of individual bites.

Janelle's Spicy Crab Dip

1-2 lbs crab meat (imitation is great in this recipe)

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1 cup Mayonesa with lime (in the Mexican aisle)
Hot sauce of your choice

Chop the crab meat into small pieces. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Chill to blend flavors. Serve dip with saltine crackers.

This dip was perfect on top of a saltine cracker. You can use any type or brand of cracker you like but choose one that won't compete with the dip's flavors. Throw in a handful of chopped ripe olives or diced bell pepper, or even jalapeno if you like. I especially like that it's not the usual hot crab dip. The tomato is so fresh, the onion adds a little crunch and the cilantro makes it herby and bright. I was also once a cilantro hater, but I have learned to embrace this beautiful herb.

Note: If you can't find the mayo in a Mexican store, you can substitute regular mayo with the zest and juice of a lime added.

The Little Dish That Couldn't

I've been talking a lot lately about the recipe contest I entered and didn't even come close. Eh....such is life, right? You win some, you lose some. I thought I would share that recipe with you anyway. I originally posted this recipe back in 2012 I believe on my other blog, Rockin' the Kitchen, as part of a marathon day of cooking. Of the four ravioli/tortellini I made that day, this was my favorite one. I think it's a very versatile dish- you could easily serve it as a first course or appetizer, or add a couple sides and it's your main course. Just be sure to find a perfect Pinot Grigio to drink with it. I hope you love it as much as I do.

Seafood Tortellini

1/2 package small wonton wrappers (20)
1/2 cup flaked crab meat (canned is ok but NO FAKE CRAB)
1/2 cup finely chopped cooked shrimp
1/2 cup finely chopped langostino tails
1/4 cup minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
big pinch chives
2-3 tb white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese FINELY shredded
couple teaspoons beaten egg (beat one egg and use a little for each filling)
salt and pepper

Combine seafood and set aside. In small skillet melt about a TB butter and one TB olive oil. Add onion and garlic and saute until softened but not brown. Add wine. Cook until wine is mostly evaporated. Mix into seafood along with chives and all cheeses. Stir in beaten egg. Salt and pepper.

To assemble, place one wonton skin on dry cutting board. Moisten all edges. Place a tsp filling in center, fold over to make a triangle. You can stop at this point and have cute triangular ravioli or.....

To make tortellini, moisten two corners and fold them together to look like an envelope. Set aside on waxed paper lined baking sheet (paper towels may stick so I don't recommend them). When ready to cook, add to boiling salted water and cook 3-4 minutes or until cooked thru, drain well. Drizzle with Brown Butter with Sage and serve. You can freeze uncooked ravioli/tortellini. Cook from frozen 4-5 minutes minimum but check them frequently so they don't overcook.

I like to serve this with Browned Butter and Sage, but if you like Alfredo, or red sauce- go with what you like. But if you'd like to stick with my recipe-

Browned Butter with Sage

1 stick unsalted BUTTER (you absolutely CANNOT substitute margarine !!!)
1 tsp crushed dried sage leaves or 3 tsp minced fresh
dash salt and pepper

Melt butter in skillet over low heat. Cook and stir until butter foams and begins to brown. Remove from heat and add sage, salt and pepper. Drizzle over tortellini to taste. You can refrigerate or freeze any leftover for other dishes- makes an excellent start for a chicken saute!

**** Note-  You likely will have a good amount of seafood filling leftover. I popped mine in the freezer and later thawed and used it for stuffed mushrooms- stuff the mushroom caps with rounded spoonful of filling, dip in melted butter (maybe that browned butter with sage?) and roll in panko- bake at 400 about 10 minutes until bubbly and run under the broiler for a quick browning if desired.