Holiday Appetizers 101: Crabmeat Bites.

This appetizer includes three of my most favorite ingredients:

Cheese

Butter

Seafood

 

There is no going wrong here. The perfect combo, right? If it had some bacon in it, I’d be in heaven.

 

My mom has been making these crabmeat bites for as long as I can remember – probably 15 years or more?

And while she is chronically late to every party we attend, and this appetizer usually arrives at dinner time, it still gets eaten in record speed. Everyone loves them!

(And over the years, her lateness has gotten better. Though I am still scarred from being late everywhere I went as a child, and now arrive to my destination an annoying 15 minutes early. This does not bode well if you are trying to be ‘fashionably late,’ which I didn’t even realize was cool until … now.)

 

It’s a simple start by throwing everything in a saucepan.

 

 

I usually don’t use canned crabmeat and prefer the more ‘fresh’ variety. This canned crab is what we have always used for this dish and I didn’t intend on switching things up here. It tastes too good.

 

The ingredients combine and melt together to create the spread.

  

 

 

I used the light, multigrain english muffins, because that is what we normally eat. They have 8 grams of fiber. (Not that my husband needs more.)

 

However, they were a bit chewy. My mom always uses regular, white english muffins and they toast up very nicely. If you’re making this for a party, I would suggest using the regular ones. For taste’s sake.

 

Once the cheese, butter and crab has melted, it gets spread on each side of the english muffin, and topped with paprika.

Of course, I use smoked paprika, since I have this insane, unruly love affair with it. My mom uses regular paprika, and it tastes great, too!

 

They go into the oven to crisp up and get all bubbly.

 

 

Cut them into tiny triangles – perfect for finger food!

 

They will get gobbled up quickly, but cutting them into four’s leaves more room for sharing. Sometimes I have eaten an entire english muffin pre-cut. I know that probably shocks the heck out of you, given how … regimented I am. 

 

Crabmeat Bites

1 jar Kraft Old English Cheese Spread

1 stick butter

1 small can of crabmeat

12 english muffins

a few dashes of paprika

Preheat oven to 350.

In a small saucepan, combine butter, cheese and crabmeat until melted together. Allow it to thicken a bit.

Slice english muffins in half and lay on a baking sheet. Spread crabmeat mixture on muffins and sprinkle each with a dash of paprika.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and muffins are crisp. Once cooled, cut into four’s (triangles) and serve.

 

 

Doesn’t this look like perfection? I promise if you make these, they will be highly requested from here on out.

 

 

 

Has Christmas come early at work? With people bringing in cookies, treats, and gift baskets, holiday weight gain can start earlier than anticipated. Make it a December to Remember, and try this at-home cardio workout when you are pressed for time.

 

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Tagged as: appetizers, crab, recipes