Hot Crab and Artichoke Dip

Ok, now I've never been a huge fan of crab. Or of any shellfish for that matter with the exception of shrimp occasionally. Too much work for a little piece of meat that is slimy and fishy. However, after I saw this picture and recipe, I thought I might have to give crab meat another try, especially if I could buy it already out of the shell! 

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) tub lump crab meat
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts in water, drained and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1 (8-ounce) package Neufchâtel cheese
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
4 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, break up crab meat into slightly smaller pieces, feeling through mixture to make sure no shell pieces remain. Stir in artichokes and bell pepper and set aside.

Place Neufchâtel, mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons chives, lemon juice, Worcestershire and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until just combined. Transfer to bowl with crab mixture and gently stir to combine. Spread into a 1-quart shallow baking dish. Bake until mixture is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon chives and serve.

Notes: The dip can be assembled up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated until ready to bake. If doing this, let sit at room temperature 15 minutes before putting in the oven, and increase baking time by about 5 minutes. 

You can substitute the Neufchâtel cheese for regular cream cheese if you prefer. Just note that the nutrition information below is for a recipe with the Neufchâtel cheese and will be different than a recipe made with cream cheese.


Nutrition

Per serving: 80 calories (45 from fat), 5g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 15mg cholesterol, 330mg sodium, 5g total carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 1g sugar), 3g protein