Cold crab dip recipe

Use fresh or tinned crab meat
serve with crackers or toast

It’s like an egg mayonnaise recipe with crab added. To make enough dip for 4 people (or a large starter for 2) you’ll need:

• roughly 150 grams (5 oz) of white crab meat
• one large hard boiled egg, mashed
• two tablespoons of mayo (or more to make the consistency you like)
• a pinch or two of dry mustard powder or half a teaspoon of wasabi paste
• a squeeze of lemon juice and some salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients, sprinkle with black pepper or paprika. Cover and chill well.


You can also make it with cream cheese and sour cream instead of egg and mayo, and make it spicy, like this:

• 6 – 8 oz of white crab meat
• 6 oz of soft cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons of sour cream
• a spring (green) onion chopped finely
• a drop or two of Tabasco or some other hot sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Again, combine all ingredients, sprinkle with paprika or cayenne pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

You can also use a mixture of cream cheese and mayo, or even some avocado. If any of the mixtures are too thick for your liking, just add a dash of milk or perhaps a sachet of a salad dressing such as Ranch. You could also add garlic powder or a tiny bit of crushed garlic if you like.

A cold crab dip recipe can be very flexible! Make it how you like it.


Potted crab is rather different from a cold crab dip recipe. Very English and a little old-fashioned! The English have always preserved meat and fish in butter. Other Europeans preserve food in fat or olive oil.

This crab recipe would be suitable for a gourmet picnic as a first course with some nice crackers and rocket leaves or mustard and cress. It could also be served as a lunch dish with good toast and a sharp green salad. It serves 4.

• a 2 lb crab, boiled
• black pepper, mace, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, salt
• lemon juice
• roughly 8oz of unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C.

Pick the meat from the crab, keeping the firm and creamy parts separate. Season both with the spices, salt and lemon juice to taste.

Then layer the meat into small heatproof ramekin dishes. Melt the butter and pour it over the crab layers until it is just covered.

Put the ramekins in a bain marie (roasting dish filled with water to come just a little way up the ramekin dishes) and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and when the dishes are cold pour another layer of butter over the top to seal from the air. Cover with foil and keep in the fridge. They will keep for a day or two this way. Transport to the picnic in your cooler.

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