This is not just any crab meat appetizer. This is an authentic, Louisiana recipe that I’ve been enjoying for decades and if one thing’s a fact…
Cajuns know how to cook some seafood!
Once upon a time … not so long ago … there was a little restaurant in the town of Maurepas, LA that sat on the famous Amite River called Val’s Marina. When I was growing up, it was one of my favorite places to eat seafood. Every single time we went there I ordered the Crab Meat au Gratin appetizer for my dinner. Yes…it’s so good that I would eat an appetizer for dinner.
I know…I’m such a rebel.
Crab meat is my absolute favorite type of seafood. I love the flavor and how delicate it is. When you combine it with cheese, one of my other favorites, the result is one ridiculously good crab appetizer!
This stuff is so easy to make!
Start out by making a roux from the butter and flour. A roux is a combination of flour and fat that is cooked together until it turns a light brown. Some people use butter, some people use vegetable oil or lard, it’s really a personal preference. The roux is what thickens the dish and gives it extra creaminess and pizzazz.
Pizzazz? I just used the word pizzazz. I haven’t heard that word in a very long time! It makes me think of that song “Putting on the Ritz” that came out in the early eighties. Which by the way…I seriously thought they were saying “Put it on a Ritz”. Maybe I thought of that song because of the crackers I used in this post..geez…I’m getting old. Anywho…
When the roux is nice and light brown, you will saute the vegetables in it until they are transparent. Add the cheese and seasonings to the mix and now you’re ready for the star of the show…..white lump crab meat….yum yum yum! Gently stir in the crab meat and then transfer the mixture to a small baking dish. I used a large ramekin.
Top the mixture with more shredded cheese, green onions and paprika and then put it under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until the top is starting to turn brown and all of the cheese has melted.
It goes great with saltine crackers, butter crackers or even on top of some crusty french bread slices!
It’s so good….I could eat this stuff with a spoon…no crackers needed!Once you take a bite of this Crab Meat au Gratin, you’ll be hooked!
It’s definitely a party pleaser!
P.S. I’ve got street cred…I am a Cajun 🙂
Tip: You can make this ahead of time and put it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. I would cover it with aluminum foil and bake it at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes before topping it with the extra cheese and popping it under the broiler. Just make sure it’s heated through.
Side note: Unfortunately Val’s Marina is no longer open due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Hopefully I can keep their Crab Meat au Gratin alive in their honor!
- ½ stick butter
- 3 tsp flour
- ½ cup onions, chopped
- ¼ cup celery, chopped
- 5 oz. can of evaporated milk
- 1 egg yolk, beaten
- ¾ cup swiss cheese, shredded (reserve 3 T for topping)
- 1 slice american cheese
- 8 oz. of white crab meat
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup green onion, chopped
- dash of paprika
- Turn oven broiler on
- In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, add the flour and stir until combined
- Add the onion and celery to the roux and cook on low-medium heat until the vegetables are tender
- Stir in the evaporated milk and egg yolk, keep stirring until fully blended
- Add the swiss cheese, american cheese, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper and stir continuously until the cheese has melted
- Gently stir in the crab meat and cook on low heat for 5 minutes
- Scoop the mixture into a small oven safe baking dish and top with shredded swiss cheese, green onion and paprika
- Place the baking dish onto a cookie sheet and place under broiler for 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and started to brown
- Remove from oven and serve warm with crackers
Try my Hot Onion Dip. It’s amazing!
7 Dec 2016….just came across your recipe from Delish. Cant wait to make for snackies Xmas Eve! I have a question for you crab eating lovers tho…I buy frozen crab meat at grocer. When opening pkg very strong”sea salt” smell. I always rinse and squeeze dry crab meat in strainer. Is that the proper way to do crab meat….or am I ruining the taste of the crab????
Hi Caraline, I never rinse my crab meat but I’m sure it doesn’t hurt anything. I think it’s just a matter of personal preference 🙂
I love the crab meat at Costco. It is pasteurized and has a long shelf life in the fridge. I buy 2 to 4 at a time because you can have it for around a year unopened. It’s not a s sweet as Maryland crab so sometimes I add a little sugar. Never has shell in it. I may have gotten 3 pieces of shell out of 50 containers!
If I can not get fresh crab can I use canned
Yes you can!
I love this too, but crab is to nice too nice to put American cheese on.; it isn’t even cheese. Provolone is better or Any real cheese. Panko bread crumbs are a nice little crunch on top.
Hi Blake, 🙂 you gave me a chuckle. I remember when I first found out that Val’s used American cheese in the crab dip. I thought the same thing! I bet the Panko bread crumbs do add a nice touch!
Hello, Amy!!! I so remember Val’s Marina – had many a Sunday lunch there after church. LOL Some the best seafood to be had – even in South Louisiana. Crab cooked anyway is my absolute favorite seafood and Val’s AuGratin was my main course more time than not.
Can’t wait to try this recipe – I am so missing Val’s. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Darlene! I miss it so much! If you are still in Louisiana, I hope you are doing OK and staying high and dry!!!
I an only eat very soft food. Can this recipe be puréed thanks
Peggy
Hi Peggy, I’m not sure if it could be pureed. It’s pretty soft as it is. I suffer from TMD and I am able to eat it without too much discomfort.
This was delicious. I had some crabmeat left after making crab cakes last night. I’m working out of state and staying in a hotel and have a kitchen but not everything I needed so I made some substitutions since I didn’t want to run to the store. I used nonfat milk instead of evaporated and added about 2+ Tbsp of cream cheese, some hot sauce and Cajun seasoning. It was wonderful. Will definitely be making this again and again.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Amy. I’m having some old friends over tomorrow night, I mean really old friends, like from at least 30 years ago. They want to bring soft shells for dinner and I needed a great appetizer recipe. This is it! It will be great with our seafood themed dinner and I can see that there is nothing in this recipe that wouldn’t be delicious! Thank you, I can’t wait to make it (but mostly eat it.) It simply can’t be bad! Thank you, I know my friends will love it.
Hi Susan! I hope your get together is nothing but a great time. Let me know how it turns out ! Amy 😊
HI AMY,
YOUR RECIPE SOUNDS DELICIOUS AND CAN’T WAIT TO TRY IT. HOWEVER IN YOUR DISCUSSION BEFORE YOU LIST THE INGREDIENTS YOU MENTION THE SONG “PUTTIN ON THE RITZ” CAME OUT IN THE 1980’S. IT IS ACTUALLY A VERY OLD SONG WRITTEN BY IRVING BERLING AND WAS PUBLISHED IN THE LATE 1920’S. JUST THOUGHT YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW. THANKS
Hi Ginger, that is too funny! In the post I was referring to the remake of the song by the band “Taco” in the eighties. Thanks for letting me know 🙂 I hope you enjoy the crab dip and have a very Merry Christmas!
Gong to try it for a party I’m going so I’m doubling it . But wanted to know if I can use other cheese besides My husband loves crab but not so much on the Swiss cheese? thank You.
Hi Rita! You can pretty much use any cheese you like. I would just make sure it’s a cheese that melts easily. You might try substituting more American cheese or maybe mozzarella. You want something mild so that it doesn’t compete with the flavor of the crab too much. Please let me know how it turns out. I hope this helps and have a Merry Christmas!
I made this tonight and it’s amazing!! Highly suggest doubling the recipe if you love crab dip and dont care about calories lol
I agree! Lol
can crabmeat augratin be frozen to eat later?
Thanks,
Kathy
Hi Kathy, yes it can be frozen. I would thaw it before baking when you’re ready to serve it.
Hi Amy,
Sounds great, would this work in a crockpot I have a ways to travel for a party and the crockpot would keep it warm longer?
Hi Kathy! I think it would be fine in a small crockpot.
Can you tell me what size of baking dish did you use?
I used a large ramekin, about 4″ in diameter and about 2″ deep.
Hello. I made this for Christmas last year and it was a huge hit! I’m now about to make it for my daughter’s school social. I cannot remember if I broiled it or not but just to be sure, what temp should I set it at before placing it under the broiler?
Thanks
Hi Stacy! My oven has a broiler setting that I use. I think most ovens have one. If yours does just turn on broiler and let it sit under it for a few minutes. It doesn’t take long so keep an eye on it!
Thank you 🙂
Can this be made ahead of time and then baked and broiled just before serving? If so, what is the recommended time and temperature? Thanks!
HI Danielle, yes you can make it ahead of time. I would bake it at the same temperature but for about 10 minutes longer depending how cold it is. Good luck!
Certainly looks delicious! But, perhaps I missed something…I don’t see anything about baking…just broiling. If making ahead and refrigerating, won’t another 10 minutes under the broiler turn this into a burned topping before the interior is heated through? Any suggestions on baking (to heat through) BEFORE broiling? Otherwise, this has to be a last-minute preparation.
Also, what size baking dish do you use? Thank you!
Hi Carol! If you make this ahead of time I would bake it for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees, until it’s heated through. Then you can broil them after. It’s a really delicious dip. I hope you enjoy!
Hello, Amy…Just found this recipe on Pinterest and was wondering about the use of evaporated milk. Could I not use whipping cream instead?
Hi Sonia, I’ve read that you can use whipping cream as a substitute for evaporated milk. I’ve never tried it myself, but I’m thinking it would be fine to use in this recipe. It will probably be a little richer tasting. Please let me know if you decide to try it out!
This recipe looks amazing, and I want to make it tomorrow. A couple of questions for you. I have a 6 oz can of crabmeat, but you call for 8 oz … are you referring to the imitation crabmeat? Secondly, you list a single egg yolk, but mention adding “yolks” (plural) … am I definitely just to use one egg yolk?
Thank you!
Hi! Sorry for the confusion. I use real crab meat in my recipe, although I believe you can use imitation crab if you’d like. I corrected the recipe to reflect only 1 egg yolk in the directions. Good luck!
Thank you! I prefer to use the real, so glad to know this is what you use. Off to the store for the ingredients I need!
Yummy! Loved it! I’m so glad I found your recipe! I adjusted the recipe slightly as I had only the canned crabmeat. In fact, I made several changes without deliberatly planning to, it just sorted of happend. But in case anyone else uses the canned crabmeat, here is what I did.
6 Tbsp butter
1.5 Tbsp flour
¾ cup onions, chopped
1/3 cup sliced roasted almonds (we’re not fans of celery)
7.5 oz. evaporated milk
1 egg, beaten (I never get around to using left over egg whites)
1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded (reserve 3 T for topping)
¼ cup shredded Cheddar
12 oz. canned crab meat
¾ tsp salt
¼ rounded tsp black pepper
¼ tsp nutmeg (out of cayenne pepper)
1/3 cup dried chives (oops, out of green onion)
dash of paprika
this looks awesome and it also going to get me in a lot of trouble with my diet! Guess I’m going to have to try it on my cheat day! Thanks for sharing!
Hi, I live in Canada and was wondering what American cheese is and what I could use as a substitute. This looks delicious and I am especially pleased that it does not require a lot of processed ingredients
Hi Darlene. American cheese is a processed cheese product that can totally be omitted from this recipe. It’s kind of like Velveeta cheese, if you know what that is. Just substitute a little more of the other cheese if you don’t want to use it, or if you don’t have access to it. I included the American cheese in this recipe only because that’s how it is made in the restaurant that I grew up eating it at, but it will be just as good without it! I’d love to know how it turns out for you. Thanks!
I can’t wait to make this tomorrow!
Hi Rebecca, please let me know how it turns out!
Hi Amy, I came across your website a few days ago and made this dip..my hubby and kids loved it which was a surprise cause my kids are super picky. Can’t wait to try more of you recipes.
Hi Veronica! That makes me so happy to hear that. Thank you for letting me know, it means a lot to me!
I am throwing a party next month and this recipe is going to be served at it 🙂 This is great! Thank you so much!
Marija you are so welcome. Don’t you just love a good cheesey dip? I hope you enjoy, Happy Holidays!
Lovely images – just about to head to first photo shoot of our new foodie section of our blog – thanks for the inspo!
x
Craving all of the cheesy deliciousness of this gratin right now, it looks so good – especially with the addition of crab!
It’s sinful!