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Hot Crab Dip

A baked dip made with crabmeat, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, cheese, and artichokes, served hot with bread.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 15 ingredients
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Why it works: Capers and artichoke share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 77 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓

Hot Crab Dip

Oven400°F (200°C)
Timeabout 15 to 20 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).

  2. Lightly grease an 8x8 inch square baking pan.

Make the dip

  1. Combine crabmeat, sour cream, cream cheese, buttermilk, mayonnaise, Monterey Jack cheese, Cheddar cheese, capers, artichoke hearts, garlic, black pepper and dill in a large bowl. Stir until well mixed.

  2. Spoon dip into prepared baking pan.

  3. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and Old Bay Seasoning.

  4. Bake in preheated oven until top is crusty, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Prepare the bread and serve

  1. Cut the top off the loaf of bread.

  2. Hollow out the loaf and cube the top and the removed pieces so that they may be used for dipping.

  3. Spoon hot dip into hollow bread loaf.

  4. Serve immediately with bread pieces for dipping.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1386Calories
79 gProtein
52 gFat
152 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 14 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Cheddar Cheese1 oz (28g)113
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Yogurt170g plain Greek100
Cream Cheese1 oz (28g)99
Sourdough1 slice (36g)93
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Artichoke1 medium (128g)60
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Dill5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried4
Capers1 tbsp (9g) drained2

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Capers + artichoketop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together77 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  2. Cream cheese + cheddar cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together467 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  3. Cheese + cheddar cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together984 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Artichoke + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together600 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  5. Cream cheese + cheesetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together473 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Crabmeat
Provides the main seafood flavor and tender, flaky texture to the dip.
Cream cheese
Gives the dip a creamy, rich body that holds the other ingredients together.
Sour cream
Adds moisture and tang, keeping the dip smooth and creamy.
Mayonnaise
Adds fat and richness, helping the dip stay smooth and spreadable when baked.
Monterey jack cheese
Melts into a stretchy, mild base that binds the dip together.
Artichoke hearts
Contribute moisture and a tender, slightly tangy vegetable bite.

The step that matters

Bake until the top is crusty. Baking long enough lets the surface brown and form a firm crust while the centre heats through. Stopping too early leaves the dip watery and cool, while overbaking can dry it and make the cheese oily.

Swap the capers

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, cream cheese, buttermilk, cheese, cheddar cheese, artichoke, garlic):

  1. Capersthe original
  2. Dillfits about as well
  3. Jalapenofits about as well
  4. Oreganofits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against cream, cream cheese, buttermilk, cheese, cheddar cheese, artichoke, garlic. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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