- So you know when you go to a party or over at to friend's house and you know there's gonna be snacks and you kind of case the joint to see which thing makes you the happiest.

Or for me that is gonna be some sort of a dip, which is why today I'm sharing my warm crab dip recipe with you.

It is so easy, it comes together in one bowl.

Let me show you how.

[soft music] I'm gonna start with some creamy things in the bottom of the bowl.

This first thing is creme fresh, and then I've got a little bit of mayo and then some seasoning.

This is mustard, Dijon mustard.

lemon zest, that shiny outside part of a good fresh lemon, and some seafood seasoning, an Old Bay style of seafood seasoning that we know always goes great with crab.

And I'm gonna stir this part together to make sure that those dried spices get mixed in with everything.

Some good, good grinds of cracked black pepper and some salt.

And then this is fresh parsley, chopped scallions.

And this is finely chopped roasted red pepper.

I love that sweetness, that savory quality that goes in there, plus more good color.

And some cheese.

This is Gruyere, my go-to cheese when I want something that melts beautifully, it's gonna bring this together just right.

And look, here we go, and stir up all of this pretty stuff together.

And then crab meat, of course.

Now this is precooked refrigerated fresh crab.

And that's what you want for this recipe.

This is lump crab meat.

Don't use the crab that comes in a can.

The texture's not gonna be what you want in this dip.

This deserves fresh crab.

And now all I have to do is to fold it together and I am taking just enough stirring to make the crab get coated and all of those good seasonings.

So all I need to do is add a couple more things and get this ready for the oven.

I'm gonna transfer our crab mixture into a baking dish.

Now I like to use a shallow baking dish to give plenty of surface area for the dipping and for the good stuff that's gonna go on top.

So let me smooth this out just a little bit.

And then I have three simple things to finish this up.

And the first thing is a little bit more of that Old Bay seafood seasoning.

Now there's some salt in this, there's some other spices.

So you wanna put a good even dusting, but not too much.

Then we have some more of that delicious, freshly shredded Gruyere cheese, and then a light layer of Parmesan.

Parmesan on top of something turns brown and a little stretchy and completely delicious.

Sprinkle it all the way over.

And this is gonna go into a warm oven until the filling gets warm and that cheese gets nice and golden.

And then we're gonna want something to eat this with.

Now it's good enough to use a spoon, but it's more fun if you use some freshly made crunchy crostini, and that's what we're gonna do next.

I wanna show you how to make crostini, those wonderful little crisp toast bites, because they are the perfect thing for a warm rich dip like the crab dip, it's easy.

Just buy yourself a baguette, a good crusty baguette, and then cut little slices.

You want more or less the same thickness, but you don't have to get too obsessed with it.

I want you to arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Then take some oil and a nice soft brush and give each one a little dab of oil.

And then when I'm making crostini that's going to be with something savory I love to season them a little bit with some pepper and a good sprinkling of salt.

There you go.

Just that easy.

I'm gonna put these in a 375 degree oven.

That temperature is gonna give them time to get crisp all the way through while they get golden brown on top.

And these should be ready about the time our dip comes outta the oven.

It'll be just right.

Would you look at this?

How pretty is this?

Golden brown and bubbly dip, crisp and golden crostini, glass of wine, this is a party even if this is all you serve.

I cannot wait to taste this.

Got those beautiful pieces of crab, that just right seasoning.

Let me try it.

Oh my goodness, you can taste that sweet lump crab meat.

Got that just right seasoning, the crispness of that crostini, the just right little cheese pull moment.

You know what, this crab did right.

Toast.

Here's to you, crab.

[cheerful music] [upbeat music]