Maryland Crab Dip Recipe with Old Bay

This Maryland crab dip recipe has flavors of the Chesapeake, including Old Bay seasoning, and a creamy base that's served warm.

I've probably mentioned that my husband loves Old Bay. He puts it on eggs, corn, coleslaw, and more. He grew up near the Chesapeake Bay, so eating steamed shrimp and crabs with Old Bay seasoning was a common occurrence.

So a while back, when I was thinking about making an appetizer, I created this easy Maryland crab dip with Old Bay. It has all the flavors of steamed crabs in a creamy base.

I used canned lump crabmeat. Fresh crab meat would be better, but it's hard to come by where we live. Lump crabmeat can be pricey. It's one of the higher grades of crabmeat, and I think it's worth it. Especially for something like crab cakes.

However, since this is a hot crab dip, you could get away with using a slightly lesser grade of crabmeat such as "special." Claw and backfin crabmeat would work well too. But I would steer clear of imitation crabmeat.

This is a typical creamy dip made with cream cheese. I added lemon juice, spices, and some beer to thin it out. After all, you always use beer when you're making steamed crabs or steamed shrimp. Of course, you don't have to use beer. You could use a little extra lemon juice or even water to thin out the dip.

The liquid and seasoning base are mixed gently together with the crabmeat.

Then it's baked in the oven. A little extra Old Bay seasoning is sprinkled on top for added flavor and color.

I served this with Triscuits and small crackers. However, it would also be great on baguette slices or Scoops. You can also serve it with vegetables like carrot and celery sticks for a total low-carb option.

Though we don't eat it that often, the richness of crabmeat with the spicy flavor of Old Bay is also a welcome treat.