Crab Appetizer Recipes

This crab-stuffed mushroom recipe is perfect for Christmas, New Year's Eve and other holiday parties or any other time you need a quick and easy appetizer. The filling is light and fresh thanks to hearts of palm, a tender vegetable with a mild flavor (similar to artichokes) that doesn't mask the rich, sweet flavor of fresh crabmeat.

This hot crab-artichoke dip is baked and served right in the skillet. Tangy artichoke hearts team up with sweet crab bound by mild cream cheese and gooey mozzarella. Kale adds color and texture to this party favorite.

Shallow-fry these easy crab cakes on the stovetop to get the perfect crisp crust without the greasy mess of deep-frying. Serve these cakes with Citrus-Arugula Salad (see associated recipe).

These are delicious with Spicy Cucumber Dipping Sauce.

This crab-cake-meets-stuffing recipe gets a double dose of crabby goodness--little bits of claw crabmeat add flavor throughout the stuffing while pieces of higher-grade “jumbo lump” crabmeat contribute big bites of crab. Shape the stuffing into cakes or bake in a casserole dish. Look for crab in the seafood department of large supermarkets. The recipe that's included for Bay Spice Blend makes 1 cup, but you'll only need 1 teaspoon for the stuffing. Try the extra spice blend in a turkey brine, sprinkled on almost any type of seafood and/or in recipes calling for Old Bay Seasoning.

These burgers have a true crab flavor that isn't masked by fillers or strong seasoning. Serve on a bun with tartar sauce or with a lemon-juice-dressed salad of greens, sprouts and sliced peaches. This recipe works best with convenient pasteurized crabmeat, usually found in the refrigerated case near the fish counter. If you prefer lump crabmeat, cut it into small, uniform pieces.

In this riff on crab Rangoon, we bake this wonton recipe instead of frying to lighten things up. Preheating the pan and coating the bites with cooking spray ensures they still get crispy.

Our light version of classic crab bisque gets its creaminess from a combination of low-fat milk plus pureed vegetables and potatoes. The tangy, chunky relish provides a textural and flavor contrast to the smoky, rich-tasting bisque. Serve with crusty whole-grain rolls and some extra wedges of lime for squeezing.

This Asian-inspired toasted ravioli appetizer is served with a yummy sweet-&-sour dipping sauce. It may seem time consuming to make this recipe from scratch but it takes just under an hour. You'll be so proud to serve these homemade filled wontons to your guests that you won't even fret about the prep time.

Restaurants all over Singapore have chile crab on their menus--it's one of the national dishes. Usually made with whole crabs swimming in a spicy chile sauce, this streamlined version is much simpler--and less messy to eat. Although a little more expensive, this dish looks the most beautiful and tastes the best when made with “colossal” lump crabmeat. Make it a meal: Serve over instant brown rice. cool off with mango sorbet for dessert.

In our healthier version of this ultra-rich dip, the crabmeat plays a starring role while a blend of pureed nonfat cottage cheese and reduced-fat cream cheese provides all the creaminess you would expect. Serve with slices of whole-grain baguette.

Spicy wasabi mayonnaise makes crab sing in these easy appetizers.