Crab Stuffing

Crab stuffing is my favorite thing to eat, full stop. Crab can be kind of expensive, so I don’t make it often, but it is so good so so so good. I buy pre picked crab claw meat because it’s slightly less expensive, but any picked crab meat will work. The recipe is adapted from a dish my parents came up with, but has some minor changes to make it dairy free. Growing up it was a universally beloved special occasion food, but I think your special occasion should be “crab sounded good.”

This recipe only covers how to make the actual stuffing, which you can use in a variety of ways. My favorite is to place fish and shrimp in an oven safe pan, salt and pepper it, cover it with crab stuffing, and bake at 350, covered, for about 45 minutes until the fish is cooked through. It’s also great stuffed in jalapeños or poblanos on the grill (bacon wrap optional), or pan fried into crab cakes.

Crab Stuffing 

3 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 

1 jalapeño, seeds removed, finely chopped 

1 poblano pepper, seeds removed, finely chopped 

2 tbsp butter or olive oil 

1 sleeve of saltine crackers, crushed by hand or in the food processor 

1/3 cup half and half (I use Forager dairy free) 

1 lb crab claw meat 

Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper 

Finely chop celery, onion, garlic, jalapeño, and poblano in a food processor (or by hand). Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat, salt, pepper, and sauté the celery mixture for 7-10 minutes. Add crushed saltines and sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add half and half and crab and cook, stirring, for another 2-3 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary, I also usually add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper for extra spice, but if your spice tolerance is low you won’t find it necessary. Store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using.