Dungeness Crab Dip

Dungeness Crab Dip

Dungeness crab is one of our favorite foods and a treasured food of the Pacific Northwest. In my humble opinion, it is the best crab - better even than the prized King crab. Dungeness is found along the west coast of the United States with peak seasons during both summer and winter. Its namesake is a small fishing village on the Olympic Peninsula and Strait of Juan de Fuca here in Washington (see this). If you ever make it out to Seattle, a trip to the Olympic Peninsula is a must, and a fun stop is Dungeness Spit and the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge.

Now, back to the food. Dungeness crab is mild flavored, both slightly sweet and rich, and lightly salty or briny. It is at its best in preparations that allow its mild flavors to shine. This dip recipe uses just enough goat cheese and whipped cream cheese to bind the dip together and offset the crab's salty-briny characteristics with added richness, while accenting the crab's mild sweetness with aromatics, citrus, and herbs. The end result is a dip that is crabby in all the best ways!

Servings: 6 as an appetizer

Time: 15 minutes (add 20 minutes or more if picking crab)

Ingredients:

• 1 Dungeness crab, cleaned and picked, about 8oz meat
• 4 oz mild goat cheese, softened
• ¼ to ⅓ cup whipped cream cheese
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp capers, rinsed, drained, and minced
• 1 Tbsp chive, minced, plus a pinch for garnish
• ½ tsp dried dill, or 1 Tbsp fresh dill minced
• 1 cornichon, minced
• ½ Tbsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• a couple dashes of hot sauce (e.g., Tapatío)

Directions:

1. If needed, clean the crab and then pick the meat from the legs and body of the crab. Double check for any shell pieces.
2. Prepare dry ingredients. Mince shallot, garlic, capers, chive, dill (if fresh), and cornichon. Grate lemon for zest.
3. Add goat cheese and whipped cream cheese to a mixing bowl. Mix well to combine and create a uniform mixture.
4. Add prepared dry ingredients, lemon juice, and hot sauce to the cheese mixture. Mix to incorporate.
5. Add crab to bowl and fold into the dip, preserving some larger chunks of crab.
6. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Depending on the saltiness of the crab itself, you may want to add a little bit of salt or some more capers or cornichon. Not enough herbal notes? Add more! Not enough acid? Add another small squeeze of lemon juice!
7. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with a little minced chive.
8. Serve with crostini, crackers, or even vegetables (radish, carrot, celery, snap peas).

Prepared Ingredients

Cheese and dry ingredients mixed and ready for crab!

Serve with crostini, crackers, or mixed vegetables.

Notes:

• I rarely measure out the ingredients for this recipe and instead taste and adjust as needed. If taking this approach, I suggest starting with a light touch on the dry ingredients - you can always taste and add more as needed.
• This dip can be repurposed to make delicious crab melts. Toast some bread, spread with dip, and top with sliced avocado. Or, spread dip atop sliced bread and top with some cheese before toasting in the oven or under the broiler until cheese is bubbly and warm.