ALL SEAFOOD RECIPES

WARM CRAB DIP WITH FOUR CHEESES

Recipe courtesy of Louisiana Kitchen & Culture and Ralph Brennan’s New Orleans Seafood Cookbook.

Warm Crab Dip with Four CheesesIngredients:
1 pound fresh Louisiana crab claw meat
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon mild hot sauce
3 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 teaspoons dried tarragon leaves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 3/4 cups finely julienned Vidalia or other sweet onions
1 3/4 cups finely julienned red onions
1/2 cup finely julienned shallots
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/3 cup good quality dry sherry
2/3 cup heavy cream
7 ounces Fontina cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
7 ounces Asiago cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 ounce Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
6 - 8 tablespoons freshly and finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Method:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray baking dish with nonstick spray. In a large mixing bowl combine the crab with the mustard, pepper sauce, parsley, tarragon, nutmeg, kosher salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside.

In a heavy 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil with 1 tablespoon butter until the butter melts. Add the Vidalia and red onions, shallots and garlic. Sauté, until the onions are lightly browned (15 to 20 minutes) stirring occasionally. Transfer the onion mixture from the skillet to a bowl and set aside. In the same skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth, and cook until the flour very lightly browns, about 1 1/2 minutes, whisking constantly. Add the sherry and cook 30 seconds. Whisk in the cream, turn heat to high and cook until the sauce comes to a boil and becomes noticeably thicker, three to five minutes, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the Fontina, Asiago and Gorgonzola cheeses. Continue cooking just until all the cheese cubes are melted, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Stir the cheese mixture and onions into the reserved crab mixture, mixing thor- oughly. Spoon the dip into the baking dish. Sprinkle the top(s) with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and place on a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake the dip, uncovered, for 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.