Appetizers for crab feed

prnczmel

My parents are going to have a crab feed at their house and apparently, I'm in charge of coming up with the appetizers.  What appetizers go well with crab?  TIA!

linnychanel

That sounds yummy!

I don't know much about food pairing, or what goes with what. But my favs

- Spinach dip, goat cheese/pepper crustini, brie/crackers

dblhappiness

I am so jealous of your crab feed! I told DH that I *must* have some crab soon...he can't deprive me of it anymore!

Anyway, not too sure if it goes well with crab but my first thoughts were of stuffed mushrooms or this mushroom dip/pate that I have a recipe for. I haven't made the pate one, but have had it and it's super yummy.

Wild Mushroom & Goat Cheese Spread (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

• 1/4  cup  boiling water
• 1/2  ounce  dried porcini mushrooms
• 1  teaspoon  butter
• 1  teaspoon  extravirgin olive oil
• 1  tablespoon  minced shallots
• 1  tablespoon  finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1  tablespoon  finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 8  ounces  wild mushrooms, finely chopped
• 8  ounces  cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
• 5  tablespoons  sherry
• 6  tablespoons  (3 ounces) goat cheese, divided
• Cooking spray
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

 

Preheat broiler.

Combine 1/4 cup boiling water and porcini mushrooms in a bowl; let stand 10 minutes. Strain porcini mushrooms through a sieve over a bowl, reserving liquid. Chop mushrooms; set aside.

Heat butter and oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic; saut? 2 minutes. Stir in reserved porcini mushrooms, wild mushrooms, and cremini mushrooms. Cook 10 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently. Stir in sherry and reserved mushroom liquid, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 5 minutes or until the liquid almost evaporates. Remove from heat. Place mushroom mixture and 3 tablespoons cheese in a food processor; process until smooth. Scrape the mushroom mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 3 tablespoons cheese. Broil for 7 minutes or until edges of cheese begin to brown. Remove from heat, and sprinkle with parsley.

 

tiki_t

What about assorted olives? Like you can get stuffed olives from the grocery store such as garlic stuffed olives, blue cheese stuffed olives, etc. Kalamata olives and black olives are great too. Those all can be also paired with a cheese platter, maybe some sliced fruit (like apples and pears) and some wine (if people are drinking).

I don't know if garlic bread counts as a side or appetizer but I would bet it would go awesome with crab. 

kjunspice

Stuffed Artichokes - we always have these before our crab/crawfish boils.  They are a little work but soooo good - you can make them in advance, too.

• 4 large artichokes
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 cups soft Italian bread crumbs, toasted
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Directions:

Using a sharp knife, level the bottom of each artichoke and cut 1 in. from the tops. Using kitchen scissors, snip off tips of outer leaves; brush cut edges with lemon juice. Stand artichokes in a Dutch oven; add 1 in. of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until leaves near the center pull out easily.
    Invert artichokes to drain; let stand for 10 minutes. With a spoon, carefully scrape out the fuzzy center portions of artichokes and discard.
    In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, garlic, Italian seasoning, lemon peel, pepper and salt. Add olive oil; mix well. Gently spread artichoke leaves apart; fill with bread crumb mixture.
    Place in an 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350? for 15-20 minutes or until filling is lightly browned. Yield: 4 servings.

Also - what about cream cheese topped with pepper jelly (Harry and David makes a good one) and served with crackers?  One of my favorite New Orleans restaurant serves boiled red potatoes (whole) with butter and hot sauce as an appetizer - so good!

I think we're going to have to get some crabs soon, too!