This is a wonderful dip for the Holidays and any Party! A creamy texture dotted with fresh corn and lump crab. The base is veggie-heavy, lightened-up yet melty-cheesy!
I recently served this at party – all devoured!
The Purée:
The sautéed ingredients are puréed (takes one minute!)
This gives the dip an incredibly CREAMY consistency – mostly from the leeks.
And – all those leeks cut down on the fat content.
You will love this dip!
Karen
Karen’s Holiday Cheesy Corn & Crab Dip Lightened-Up
A wonderful creamy dip – lightened up with leeks and fresh corn, lump meat crab is folded in for some decadence. Served in a warm casserole dish with a melted cheese top.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups leeks, thinly sliced; cleaned and dried
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, peeled, coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder , or your favorite mild chiles
- 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels, divided
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise, preferably without natural flavoring
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup sour cream, (could use greek yogurt)
- 1 1/4 cups aged white cheddar cheese, divided, grated (1/4 cup is for topping)
- 1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/3 pound lump crab meat, best quality
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Add olive oil to a medium sized skillet, set to medium-low heat. When warm, add leeks and sauté until softened bit not colored, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, stir and cook one minute.
- Add spinach, Kashmiri chile powder and half of the corn – 3/4 cup. Cook until spinach just wilts and corn is bright yellow. Remove from heat.Cool slightly and then add to a small food processor an puree until somewhat smooth.
- In the same skillet, cook remaining 3/4 cup corn with a scant amount of olive oil and cook at medium heat until just a touch golden.
- Add the puree to a large bowl. Add the 3/4 cup skillet corn, mayonnaise, greek yogurt, sour cream, ONE cup of cheddar and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Mix all to together with a rubber spatula.
- Add the dip to an 8 inch baking dish soothing the top. Can be made ahead at this point and refrigerated until ready to bake.
- Bake the dip until warmed through about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and tuck in the lump crab into the dip.Top evenly with the reserved 1/4 cups cheddar cheese. Bake until warmed through and bubbly, about 15 more minutes. (Crab is "tucked in so it does not over heat and become fishy.)
Serving:
- Serve with toasted baguette slices, your favorite crackers or corn chips, or all!
Notes
This recipe may not be reproduced without the consent of its author, Karen Sheer.
Nutrition
Calories: 152kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 8gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.002gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 315mgPotassium: 153mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 828IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 148mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Yummy! Made this for the holidays and was a hit. Love leeks and all the vegetables. Did not add crab. Wasn’t too heavy, a nice balance of ingredients. Made it ahead of time and baked before serving with the extra grated cheese. Might make again spicy. What spices do you think I should use? Thanks for this super recipe!
Hi Camila – Thanks for the great review! I too have made it without the crab. To answer your question, to make a bit spicy, I would add 1 tablespoon of minced jalapeño in the skillet at step 3 (with spinach and corn.) Alternatively, you can add hot chili flakes you like, 1/2 teaspoon should do it. (Kashmiri Chilies in the recipe offer mild heat.) 😀Karen