Spicy New England Crab Dip Recipe – Postcards from Maine – Sailing Away

I don’t consider myself a sailor, but I just can’t go to Maine without getting out there on the water pretending to own a boat (at least for a few hours) and this trip was no exception.

It was up in the air as to which day we were going to sail, but we got the call and jumped at the chance to go out on such a beautiful  summer evening.

We set sail from the harbor at Rockport on the Schooner Heron.  The Heron is a 65 foot classic wooden boat hand built by Twig and Bonnie Bower  (I know, can you believe it?).  I thought it looked familiar…later I discovered that it was featured as “Sanderson’s yacht” in the Johnny Depp’s film, “The Rum Diary”.

On board were folks from England and Germany and  soon everyone was chatting and enjoying themselves.  One thing we all had in common was our love for Maine and the sea.

Soon we were out of the mooring and heading toward Penobscot Bay, but first we had to pass the Indian Island Lighthouse.

The billowing sails soon stood at attention like seamen in the presence of an admiral.

The landlubber in me was a bit relieved when the winds proved to be calm as the kitten “Monkey” who popped out of the hold to sniff which way the wind was blowing.

For their gourmet sunset sail the Bowers’ provide the hors d ‘oeurves, but you provide the drinks.  We chose a nice Chardonnay which went very nicely with the selection of various cheese and fruit…but what I really liked was the crab dip.

Hours later we return to the  Rockport harbor to find that the evening was just beginning for some looking to the ocean for their meal.

I thought that you might enjoy a bit of the sea to share with your family and friends for your next Sunday Supper.

I realize that not all of you have access to fresh crab…and neither did I when I returned home, but I did find this which was the perfect substitute at a local market.

Spicy New England Crab Dip

Yield: 12 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

For those of you who love crab with a bit of a kick.

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise (I use Hellman's)
1/4 cup Chili Sauce (I use Heinz)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest (I used a rasp instead of a zester)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
5 dashes of Tabasco sauce

1/4 cup celery, minced
1/4 cup green pepper minced
2 tablespoons sweet onion, grated
2 tablespoons parsley, minced (I used Italian)

1 pound crab meat (if you use fresh, please make sure that you check it for any random shell bits)

Directions:

In a large bowl, wisk the first 6 ingredients together (mayo, chile sauce, Tabasco, lemon juice and lemon zest) till combined.

Then add the next four ingredients (celery, green pepper, onion and parsley) and stir together till combined.

Finally, fold in the crab meat till combined.

Chill for an hour or more in the fridge. (can be made a day ahead)

Serve on toasted French bread or cucumber slices.

Enjoy!

Posted in Appetizers/Sides, Recipes, Travel

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