Recipe: Thai Flavors Crab Dip

In the late 1970’s, everyone’s favorite party dip was basically a crab meat cocktail, served with crackers. It was cream cheese, crab meat and cocktail sauce.

For a more contemporary version of this Classic, we’ll lean to a few fresh ingredients and a bottle of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce.

This recipe scales up or down depending on the quantity desired.

Ingredients
  • 8 oz block of cream cheese
  • 8 oz lump crab
  • 4 oz Thai style sweet chili sauce
  • Herb Melody
  • 2 tsp thin sliced scallion onion, green parts
  • 2 tsp Thai basil
  • 2 tsp cilantro
  • 2 tsp mint
  • 2 inch knob fresh ginger, fine chopped
  • Zest of one fresh Lime
  • Juice from half a lime
  • Optional: A few shakes of hot red chili flakes - to taste
  • A few shakes of crisp fried shallots or onion
Assembly

Simply put, think of this as building a 7 layer dip!

Bring cream cheese to a chilly room temp. You want it just warm enough to spread on a plate

Schmere the cream cheese as the base layer

Float a layer of the sweet chili sauce over the cream cheese

Sprinkle with half the fine chopped fresh ginger

Layer the crab meat

Sprinkle with the remaining fresh chopped ginger

Sprinkle with the zest of the lime

Squeeze of lime juice

Sprinkle with the herb melody

Note: We like this melody of herbs. It’s traditional in South East Asia. Depending on what’s available in your area, any individual, of combination, of these fresh herbs will work

Optional: Hot chili flake and crisp fried onion

Serve with a variety of crispy crackers. Almond, wheat or rice. Or, all three!