This crab dip is a salute to President Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware, which we share today on the day of his inauguration. It's outrageously delicious for something so simple!
“I'm happy to eat all of this cholesterol, for my country.”
Now Delaware, culinarily, isn’t known for very much, but it has inherited the traditions and the beautiful food of the states which lay adjacent, namely, peaches and tomatoes from New Jersey, cheesesteak and pretzels from Pennsylvania, and crab from Maryland.
Also, hot crab dip was a signature dish from a restaurant, Etats-Unis, which was once on the upper East Side of New York.
Delaware Crab Dip & Bagel Chips
Serves 2
For the crab dip:
200g crab meat (I used Lambay white crab meat)
50g crème fraîche
50g cream cheese (I used Philadelphia because I was well-inclined towards Pennsylvania as the election returns came in)
25g mayonnaise
2 scallions, chopped finely
100g grated cheese (I used Jarlsberg, which is a sweet, Swiss style cheese from Norway, However, any grating cheese would do -- cheddar, gruyere, emmental)
A good pinch of garlic powder
Zest of half a lemon
Juice of half a lemon
A healthy dash of Tabasco sauce
A health dash of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
For the bagel chips:
3 bagels, cut crosswise in half and sliced thinly (¼ inch or 1 cm)
4 tbsp (or more) olive oil
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan.
Add all the ingredients for the crab dip into a medium-sized bowl and mix. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
Transfer to a buttered, small, oven-proof casserole dish, and bake for 20 minutes until bubbling.
For the bagel chips, toss the bagel slices with olive oil. Bake on a tray in the oven also for approximately 15 minutes until the chips are browned.
Garnish the crab dip with an extra squeeze of lemon, chopped parsley, and more hot sauce if desired.
Serve with the bagel chips, or crackers or sliced baguette.
Mei's Delaware Hot Crab Dip
In this video demonstration*, Dee chats to Mei about her inauguration recipe inspiration and a step-by-step guide of how to make this outrageously delicious dish. Enjoy!
*With thanks to Mei's husband, Tommy, for his nifty camera work!