This fabulous and Easy Creamy Crab Mornay Dip is a flavorful appetizer and perfect for holiday parties or anytime you are entertaining and want to serve your family or guests something special!
Crab Mornay is pure creamy deliciousness with chunks of briny crabmeat and a hint of sherry and is wonderful served in a chafing dish with toasted baguette slices or toast points. You can’t get much more decadent than this, or find a holiday appetizer that will be any more popular or any easier to prepare. Crab Mornay like my recipe for Deviled Crab is also a perfect make-ahead appetizer. Make the filling the day before, and then just heat it up when it’s time to serve.
Crab Mornay also makes an elegant entree when served in flaky puff pastry shells.
This scrumptious recipe was developed by the mother of a longtime friend of mine (Carolyn) and she prepared it often for her family. It was also featured in the Thymes Remembered Cookbook, published by The Junior League of Tallahassee. Carolyn also has a blog with many delicious recipes: A Southerner’s Notebook.
Easy Creamy Crab Mornay Dip ingredients include butter, scallions, parsley, flour, half and half, Swiss Cheese, sherry, ground red pepper, and fresh claw or lump crabmeat. If you are preparing the Crab Mornay as an entree, you will also need frozen puff pastry shells.
To begin, melt butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan and saute the scallions and parsley over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
Add flour and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Then, add the half and half and cheese and stir until the cheese is melted.
Add sherry, and red pepper according to your taste, and gently fold in the crabmeat, taking care not to break up the lumps. (If making ahead, cover and refrigerate the crab mixture until you are ready to serve. Reheat over low heat and serve.)
To serve as an appetizer, place the hot crab mixture in a chafing dish, garnish with chopped parsley or minced scallion greens, and serve with toast points or toasted baguette slices.
To serve as an entree, fill baked puff pastry shells with the hot crab mixture and garnish with chopped parsley or minced scallion greens.
Related recipes:
If you are looking for more appetizer recipes, consider my Redneck Caviar. Not only is it delicious, but it is healthy too and full of vegetables.
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Easy Creamy Crab Mornay Dip Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 4 scallions white parts only, minced
- ½ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 pint half and half
- 8 oz Swiss cheese shredded
- 1 tablespoon Sherry
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1 lb fresh claw or lump crabmeat
Instructions
- Melt butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat and saute scallions and parsley for 1-2 minutes.
- Add flour, whisk and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add half and half and cheese and whisk until the cheese is melted.
- Add sherry, red pepper to taste, and gently fold in the crabmeat, taking care not to break up the lumps. Heat for a few minutes until the mixture is thoroughly heated.*
- Serve immediately or place in a chafing dish to keep warm. Garnish with chopped parsley or minced scallion greens.
- If serving as an entree, purchase frozen puff pastry shells and prepare according to the directions on the package. Add the crab mixture to the baked shells serve warm.
Angelle
My mother also makes this dish (it’s a favorite!). She puts it in individual ramekins, tops with seasoned breadcrumbs and bakes in oven until golden. I like the puff pastry idea, especially for a dinner party—how many shells would this recipe fill?
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Angelie, I like your Mom’s serving idea; thanks so much for sharing.
I would think you could probably fill six puff pastry shells, which of course depends on how how much the shells you purchase hold. It has been a while since the last time I used them, the package held four shells, and I had some of the dip left over. But I don’t remember how much. If you are planning to serve them at a dinner party, I would test it first to confirm because the size of the shells do vary by brand.
I hope this helps and I hope you enjoy the recipe.
All the best,
Sharon
Angelle
Thanks. Made it tonight for Christmas Eve dinner. Loved it in the puff pastry shells!
Amelia
This dish tastes fantastic! However, every time I make it, the butter starts to separate and pool on top of the finished dish. Any suggestions? What am I doing wrong? Thank you!
Gritsandpinecones
Hi Amelia,
I’m so glad you enjoy this dish but sorry you are having a problem with the butter. I have made this dish many times and have never seen it do that, so I turned to my friend Carolyn, who I originally gave me the recipe. Carolyn said it had never happened to her either and the only thing she could think of was that the butter might be getting too hot when you saute the scallions and separating. She suggested turning the heat down a bit to see if this helps. I’m so sorry we couldn’t come up with a better solution, but next time you make it try lowering the heat and let me know if this works for you!
All my best,
Sharon
Heidi
Amelia – the most common reason a cheese “breaks” or separates is cooking it too long or too high a heat – it shouldn’t bubble at all. After cooking the flour and making the roux, try removing from heat while you melt in the cheese, then return to a low heat to warm up the crab addition. Good luck!
Jenna
MMMM this sounds so good! I love anything with crab and this would be perfect on Christmas Eve.
Carolyn
I am assuming that you got this recipe from our League cookbook? Interestingly enough this was a recipe of my mothers that I submitted and she prepared many many times. It can also be served on a buffet table in a chafing dish which is how my mother most often served it. When the League wanted to print this recipe they wanted to update it thus placing it in the puff pastry.
Gritsandpinecones
Carolyn, thanks so much for letting me know! I’m updating it to mention it originally came from your Mom, and noting that it’s adapted from the Junior League Cookbook!