We’re obsessed with this skillet baked seafood dip with crab, shrimp and veggies. It’ll be the first dish licked clean at your next party or potluck!
It’s extremely challenging for me to resist face-planting into my food while photographing it.
The first time I made this delicious dip, I took ten shoddy photos before clumsily diving in with a torn piece of baguette.
I made a considerable dent before deciding I had just enough left to photograph the following day. That was the plan at least. I forgot I have a husband. The kind of husband who comes home from an 11 hour day, sniffs out the newest creation to take up real estate in the fridge, and spoons it into his face like the man has never seen food before. Round two gave me maybe six or seven extra shots before it suffered the same fate as the first round.
I also bare-handed the skillet again. If you need me I’ll be posting sticky-note reminders threats to myself throughout the kitchen while I polish off the remainder of this freakishly amazing dip. Cheese cures all ails.
Baked Seafood Dip with Crab, Shrimp, and Veggies
This scrumptious seafood dip is one of our all-time favorites!
Baked Seafood Dip with Crab, Shrimp, and Veggies!
Ingredients
- ½ lb fresh/defrosted raw shrimp
- 4 ounces quality* lump or claw crab meat
- 1-2 TBSP butter
- ½ cup finely diced onion
- ½ cup finely diced green bell pepper
- ¼ cup finely diced celery (optional but tasty!)
- 1 TBSP minced jalapeno
- ½ cup chopped spinach
- 3 cloves garlic minced and smashed with 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning blend
- 3-4 ounces cream cheese
- 2.5-3 cups freshly grated Gouda cheese (not smoked)
- ½ cup Gruyere cheese
- 1/8-1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp chopped parsley
- paprika to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prep shrimp and crab as needed by defrosting, cleaning, peeling and deveining your shrimp and shredding your crab. If you need a shrimp prep guide, I have some photos and mini tutorial [here] You can also buy yours already cleaned and shelled for ease of use! Whatever you do, skip the pre-cooked stuff; the texture always seems to be off. Once prepped, chop the raw shrimp and set aside.
- Next chop your veggies finely, so they’ll mix seamlessly into the dip.
- Heat a cast iron skillet on your stove-top to medium-high heat with a tablespoon or two of butter and saute the onion, bell pepper, celery and jalapeno until tender.
- Next add in the spinach, salted mashed garlic, and Old bay.
- Stir to combine and wilt the spinach.
- Next add the crab and shrimp and cook for about a minute, until shrimp just begin to turn opaque.
- Remove from heat. [the shrimp will continue to cook in the pan as well as in the oven]
- Stir in your cream cheese, Gouda, and Gruyere and a sprinkle of paprika, and pop the entire skillet in the oven
- Bake for about 15 minutes until bubbly and golden.
- Remove skillet from the oven, give it a moment to de-molten-lavafy itself, and dive on in with your favorite crusty baguette.
- Now would be a good time to garnish with some parsley and red pepper flakes before your eat the entire skillet!
Notes
Nutrition
special diets and swaps
This piping hot dip is super versatile! Feel free to skip the celery and add extra bell pepper if needed, it’s great both ways! I also tested a batch with plain 2% yogurt in place of the cream cheese and it was equally delicious! The only issue is that it wasn’t, by nature, as creamy when you dunked on into it. I have to admit, though I love using yogurt in recipes, the richness of the cream cheese batch had me swooning with each bite. No shrimp? No problem! You can make the dip entirely with crab if you’d like. As always, feel free to add extra veggies; they’re delicious!
I think it’s time to admit I have a cheese problem.
so… how was it?
This easy cheesy seafood dip is oh so tasty! Once it was cool enough I even let Mia try a little bit and she wound up inhaling it and begging for more. Same goes for the husband, though I pretty much had no choice but to share with him, he’s my hand model after all! The recipe makes a boatload of dip so if you wind up with leftovers, no worries! They’re fabulous the next day, simply store in your fridge in an airtight container and hope your significant other doesn’t get to it first!
Oh I guess I should describe the dip for you right? HOT, CREAMY, AND OMGCHEESY! If you ‘re a fan of seafood and cheese you’ll basically want to bathe in this dip. The veggies add fantastic flavor but are diced small enough that they could easily trick your pickiest of friends. We all know that one guy who thinks green things should be illegal; those are the friends I enjoy cooking for the most. Challenge accepted!
This scrumptious seafood dip is essentially the perfect party food so make a batch for your family and another to share with friends. Ok and a third to eat alone while you curl up in bed and re-read The Fault in Our Stars. You’ll need the comfort food, trust me.
Of course I couldn’t resist a gratuitous zoom shot…
I’m hoping y’all adore this Baked Seafood Dip as much as we do! Let me know if you get a chance to try it!
Feeling crabby? Snag the recipe for my Crab Stuffed Mushrooms!
This Dip is AMAZING, Thank You so much for sharing your recipe! The next day I had the leftover Dip over Fresh Pasta!
What size of cast iron pan did you use and any advice on using canned crab meat – or just using shrimp without crab?
Hi Ronnie! A quality canned crab will work (use one you enjoy the flavors of and you’re good to go) and the cast iron I used was 12 inches in diameter.
It would be interesting if you could show us step by step how to make it instead of showing us only one picture–
I totally understand! I was thinking if there were too many photos people wouldn’t want to scroll and deal with the hassle but I’ll try to get some process shots next time I make it for friends. It’s a really easy dish to make and for sure worth a try!
I made this into a linguine sauce, doubled everything but the cheese, and added lobster, scallops and a little milk. My family absolutely loved it! Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Ohmygosh Taylor this sounds so dreamy! I may need to follow suit super soon and try this as as seafood sauce. So glad you enjoyed it!
Q: If preparing this ahead and using a casserole dish to bake, when refrigerating the casserole dish waiting to be cooked later, should the shrimp and crab be added to mixture without being cooked? OR should the shrimp and crab be added after removing the dish from the fridge and getting ready to bake?
Hi Carolyn! So the shelled crabmeat we always use from the seafood counter is already steamed. If yours is as well then you can stir that into the mixture before popping it in the fridge. I’d add the raw shrimp just before baking though. Hope you love the recipe as much as we do! xoxo
When adding the shrimp after taking the dish out of the fridge, it be added raw? or does it have to be first cooked for the minute until it turns opaque as directed in the recipe instructions?
Looking forward to making this dip for our Christmas Eve gathering. Want to make sure I make it as delicious as you do.
A few readers have mentioned they add the chopped shrimp in raw and heat/cook the dip until it’s cooked through (and that it still works great) but I’ve always been in the habit of cooking the shrimp on it’s own then adding it to the dip. I feel like the extra step of cooking the shrimp is worth it!
Was a huge hit with the family last Christmas and has been requested again for this year!!
Yay!!! So happy y’all enjoyed it!
My oven is being repaired but I wanted to bring this dip to a party, so I tried the crockpot- It was delicious and a hit! I followed the directions by cooking everything in my frying pan until it was oven time. I then put it in a small crockpot and made sure it stayed on low heat. Loved it.
I want to try this. what type of bread/toast are you using in the picture above?
So excited for you to try it Ronald! When we lived in NC and had Harris Teeter, they had these take and bake frozen slim baguettes that you would bake up and slice whenever you needed one and that’s pictured in the photo. Since we moved back to FL and don’t have a HT we just buy those extra long French baguettes at our grocery store’s bakery and they’re great too!
Oh Gosh Jen I too miss so much Harris Teeter I am in Florida and there is only Publix–
Hi Francine! Hilariously enough, I miss Harris Teeter AND Publix now that I’ve left both NC and FL. Totally one of the tough parts about moving is leaving behind favorite restaurants and grocery stores!
OMG. This might be one of the best recipes I’ve come across on Pinterest – this is nice restaurant quality! Just made this tonight, and hubby and I are stuffed but can’t stop eating it! We are dipping toasted ciabatta in it, but just discussed how delicious this would be over some pasta, too! Thanks so much for this fantastic recipe!
Ahhhhh yay!!! Thank you Ashley! Love the idea of serving it over pasta (seriously I may need to try that, stat!) and I’m so glad y’all enjoyed the recipe.
Could you make this in a crockpot??
Hi Michele! It doesn’t need to cook for very long so the slow cooker might overcook the seafood and/or dip. Maybe it would be okay on the warm setting once it’s already prepared via stovetop?
I made this a few days ago, and it was insanely delicious! It was a huge hit! Even my two year old son couldn’t get enough! For anyone that doesn’t have a cast iron skillet, I made mine in a regular pan and it turned out fantastic! I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!
So so so happy to hear it Afton!
This looks delicious!
How large a cast iron skillet did you use for this recipe?
Hey Betsey! I believe mine has a 9-inch diameter.
making this with fresh shucked steamed Maine crab meat. The fresh raw shrimp will be mixed with the other ingredients before it hits the oven. It takes 2-3 minutes, tops, to cook shrimp, or it will be like rubber. Take it from a Maine lobster fisherman’s wife and Rhode Island fisherman’s daughter ( Portuguese) It will be “GREAT” for the Superbowl game….GO Pats!
Sounds amazing Deborah! So excited for you to try the recipe and thanks for the tips! xo
I give this 5 stars!!!!!!! I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to make it for my Vision Board Party. I was a little nervous because I’ve been looking at so many different recipe, which all seemed different but it turned out delicioussssss!!!! Everyone though I ordered it from a restaurant. I added scallops and parmesan cheese and it was amazing. I didn’t follow the measurements, I eyeballed it (pure laziness ) but still, it was perfect. I’ve shared your recipe with friends and I’m sure they’ll be making it very soon also. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Looks yummy, however it does not say the size of shrimp you used. Small, medium, large? Plan on making this for my wine tasting group.
Hi Dorine! So excited you’ll be making the dip! I left the measurements in weight only so everyone can use the size shrimp they prefer! I’ve used large, extra large, and medium for this recipe and it all works great. Since you’re chopping the shrimp it won’t matter so my tip is always to buy whatever size of raw shrimp is on sale! xo
Sounds delicious and like a complete meal; however, as a Marylander, I can tell you that you NEVER shred lump crabmeat–it’s sacrilegious! If you don’t want the lumps, buy claw meat (actually tastier)–getting a LUMP of crabmeat in your portion is a real treat.
LOVE the claw meat and that’s awesome insight JoAnn – thanks! I do find myself looking forward to a big lump of crab in crab dip! xo
Oh no! I hope you didn’t do too much damage to your hand and um.. I have a similar husband. I once made a layer cake and 1 lonely cupcake. The idea was to take a snap of the cupcake along with the layer cake to show the recipe versatility. I went to pick up my kids from school and somehow the cupcake had been eaten by the time I got home. My man thought I’d made a romantic gesture by baking him his very own cupcake 🙂
Anyway, this dip has everything going for it – especially the crab. I’ve never served up a hot dip, but you have me seriously tempted. All those ingredients sound so lovely together.
So full of seafood and cheese, what is not to love! Fabulous recipe perfect for so many occassions!
I will try this soon. Look very tasty.
Have you ever made & froze? I assume I would leave the shrimp out until putting it together to eat. I have a bunch of crab to preserve & looking for good ways to freeze.
Hey Ann! I haven’t frozen this one before mainly because cheese dips don’t typically freeze well for later. On the bright side, from what I’ve read one of the best ways to preserve crab meat for a later date is to go the crab cake route and freeze them — YUM!
Lady’s I don’t have a cast iron skillet and the store doesn’t sell gruyere cheese!!!!! Wht can I do
No worries! In place of gruyere you can use your favorite melty cheese! Gouda and fontina work great but you could also use an Italian blend of mozzarella, parmesan, etc… as well. Any cheeses they get ooey gooey when you melt them will work
In place of the cast iron skillet you can use an oven safe stainless steel pan to cook on the stove top and finish off in the oven, or just make in whatever pot or pan you have handy and pour the mixture into a casserole dish/baking dish to finish off the bubbly cheese topping.
It’s super flexible and I’m so excited for you to try it Juanita! 🙂 xoxo
Yes!!! It all worked out good everybody loved it… it was so good I’m cookin it again now lol!!!!!!
Ahhh yay!!! So stoked to hear it! 🙂
I was SO disappointed to find your recipe the day AFTER the 4th of July!! Cant wait to make & take this to our next “foodie friends b’que!” Recommendation: add cast iron skillet size(s) & other container options to instructions. (I plan to use 2 oval ceramic gratin dishes so they can be placed at both ends of a patio table that seats 8.) Have u tried this with anything besides bread…a good tortilla chip, maybe…so it’s not so filling as an appetizer?
Thank you Adrienne! A number of skillet sizes can be used for sure! I hope to add a few new skillets to my collection so I have more options for sure. We make this dip an ton and it’s great with so many dippers! I love it with cucumbers and halved sweet mini peppers alongside a fresh baguette and super hearty tortilla chips. My local store brand has chips that are hearty/thick enough not to break when you dive in, so look for a thicker cut chip vs. the “restaurant style” tortilla chips that are thin and frail. I like having a few different options when serving friends so they can choose their favorite dippers 🙂 Hope this helps! xo
Hey. I’m planning to make this for an event Saturday but would like to make it Today, Thursday. I read a review that said I can make it ahead but up to what step do I do? I plan to use all crab. Do I make it up to step 9 and then save the baking for the day of? Thanks
Hi Patty! Your instinct is perfect; go through step 9 and bake before serving. Since you’ll be taking it out of the fridge, I’d take it out a little early to take the chill off and reduce the bake time, since it will need a longer bake time from the fridge. Hope y’all love this dip as much as we do! 🙂
Also, you can skip cooking the crab in the skillet per step 7. Just combine it all and chill until you’re ready to bake.
Thanks so much
Crab is already cooked if you get it in a can or frozen in the store. A fish market will sell live crabs that you must steam or boil, then shuck the meat out. don’t cook the already cooked crab, Ever!
Hi Jen you may or may not know of this by now but you can pick up a silicone sleeve for your iron skillet handles from Williams Sonoma or Cracker Barrel when you stopping along the highway for a nice meal or even Amazon.com. I just thought I would throw in that little tip to save your hands and your potholders. ???
Thank you thank you!!!! Totally getting one because it’s embarrassing how often I burn myself 😉 xoxoooo
Hi Jenn,
Greetings from Calgary, Canada! I very rarely post anything on the internet, but this recipe made me do it 😉
What a fabulous, delicious and easy meal – uh, appetizer – that I have made 4 times now and counting. I have deleted manufactured and processed carbs from my diet for the past 4 months and my hunt for good food recipes never ceases. This one is superb. I’m not a crab fan, so I just sub in all shrimp, and add a little sharp cheddar to give it a bit more colour and tang.
I know I’m late to post lol, but I just wanted to let you know that you’re paying something forward that’s great! Thanks!
Carol your sweet words made my night, thank you! I’m beyond honored that you’ve made the recipe four times and the extra shrimp in place of the crab and sharp cheddar sound marvelous! 🙂 Please tell me you’ve eaten it as a meal too because I have lost count how many times we called this app dinner in all it’s snacking glory 😉 xoxo
Definitely pinned! You had me at the photos of the bread scooping out the cheese 🙂 Can’t wait to try!
Can you make this is a small crock pot?
Cheese and seafood don’t usually agree with slow cooking. The cheese tries to curdle and the shrimp can get tough and overcook quite easily since it cooks so so fast. It would be great (after oven baking or even just cooking entirely on the stovetop) if it was put into a small slow cooker on the warming function for a party so the dip stays hot and melty but I would be nervous doing much more than that.
Do you have any recommendations for other kinds of cheese that would work? Not a huge fan of Gouda or Gruyere
Hey Marie! You could use a store bought shredded Italian blend of cheeses with a little extra mozzarella thrown in for melt-factor. That combo is always a hit when I make my spinach dip and it would be great in this too!
Hi Jenn, this morning’s post was so timely!! I am looking for some yummy appetizers and these look amazing! OMG it’s morning and I’m already starving haha!
Thanks again, love your website so much!
Sue
Thank you so much Sue! You certainly put a smile on my face this morning 🙂 I hope you get a chance to try this dip soon — it’s one of our favorites!
I will let you know! Thanks!
Hello! Can I use a crockpot for this recipe? Do I need to add milk?
Hi SK! I’m not sure how this one work work in a slow cooker, as I sautéed a lot of the ingredients and it cooks super duper fast on it’s own! The crock-pot would be great for keeping it warm for a party though so maybe it’s worth a try? Let me know if you try it!
What if I don’t have a cast iron skillet could I use something else??
Any baking dish or casserole pan will work great too! No worries 🙂
This looks absolutely amazing! Pinned.
I would like to make this to take to an Easter Dinner on Sunday but I will not be home on Saturday. Do you think I could make it on Friday night and it would still be good on Sunday? Or what if I put it together on Friday and just baked it on Sunday morning? Will it still be good?
Hey Jennifer! It’ll be fine it you prep it all Friday and bake it Sunday! I would make it in a regular pan instead of the skillet [you won’t want to put the cast iron skillet in your fridge] and store it in your favorite bake-safe dish. Another precaution you can take is to leave cooking the shrimp until just before baking on Sunday [it only takes a few minutes to cook] to avoid that weird rubberry texture you sometimes get when you cook shrimp and reheat it. You could also simply skip the shrimp entirely and use extra crab [I’ve done this, it rocks!] When I’ve made it sans shrimp and with extra crab I was able to prep it all ahead of time and pop it into the oven before serving and it was great. I’m totally rambling so hopefully this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions and I hope you adore this dip! <3 I love it so!
Does that mean the shrimp won’t get cooked completely in the oven, if you don’t precook it a minute before adding?
Hi Carolyn! I always cook my shrimp first for food safety reasons so I haven’t tried adding it straight to the dip and baking it. I wonder if it will work both ways -let me know if you experiment with it before I do! xo
Hi Jenn –
What size cast iron skillet do you use when you make this dip?
Thanks!!
Hey Sara! I used my big one! I’ll go downstairs and measure it and get back to ya in a few. I want to say its 11-inches but I could be totally off in eyeballing it. Talk to you soon!
Hookay so it’s a 12-incher but I had lots of room in the skillet so I would say 10 or 11 inch will work too! Hope that helps!
This sounds delicious, however, I have read this recipe 4 times and still haven’t seen where you add the crab meat. Just wanted to know what step do I need to add it in.
Ohmygosh my brain must be positively broken! My friends have even made this and never mocked me for leaving out the step which is totally out of character because those crazy kids LOOOOVE mocking me! Sorry April! I added the crab to the instructions [thanks for noticing by the way! phew!] and you can add it in along with the shrimp =) xo
Thanks so much! Just wanted to know because I definitely plan on making this!!
These look amazing!
Do you have any nutrition facts for these?
I keep trying to use a towel as a potholder because all of mine seem to have vanished…. in case you were wondering it doesn’t even come close to protecting hands 😉
This sounds amazing and I can’t wait until I have a party (and an ovenproof skillet) so I can try this out!
Safe to say I’d better make this in the company of others or else I’d end up curled in a corner snarfing it down with my bare hands and hissing at potential takers.
That’s pretty much how it wen’t down here. Then guilt set in and I shared 😉
Stupid kitchen.
When I win the lottery, I shall make this. Seafood in Australia costs the same amount as a small child…
Well, Victoria Beckhams child. It’s THAT expensive.
I can honestly say those pics made my mouth water and my stomach growl.
This looks like I could devour the whole thing all by myself….and might bite off anyone’s hand that tries to sneak a taste. I am definitely making this (and am hoping I don’t bite anyone in the eating process! 😉
This looks amazing and reminds me of a favorite app at the restaurant back when I was a waitress. Can’t wait to try it!
Haha! I am the same, so clumsy, especially in the kitchen! I cut myself all the time and don’t get me started on my scars from burns – I just never seem to learn!
Yum! This looks so delicious. And yay veggies!
I hope it rocks your world! =)
The kracken is on the prowl. Batten down the hatches.
Plus cheese. All the cheese.
I am in the same boat… one day I will learn that pot holders are there for a reason, and that walking and chewing gum at the same time is THAT hard. Today is not that day.