Buttery Crab Bake Casserole
You'll love this delicious crab casserole with ritz crackers as a topping! Dripping with flavorful chive butter and a secret ingredient that makes the crust slightly sweet, this is an easy crab meat recipe you'll want to eat again and again! Great for the whole family.
Ingredients
For the casserole filling:
- 1 lb jumbo lump crab meat picked through for shells
- 1 cup salted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons fresh chives chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
For the crust:
- 30 buttery crackers such as Ritz crackers
- 2 plain graham crackers broken into fourths
- 6 tablespoons salted butter melted
- chopped chives for garnish (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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Spread crab meat evenly across the bottom of a 3.5 quart dutch oven or a medium baking pan.
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Pour 1 cup melted butter on top of the crab meat. Mix well, so that crab is evenly coated.
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Add the chives to the crab. Stir well.
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Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir well.
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Add butter crackers and graham crackers into a food processor. Process on high until small, even crumbs form.
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Put the cracker crumbs into a bowl. Add the 6 tablespoons of melted butter and mix until well combined.
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Using a spoon, carefully spread the cracker mixture evenly over the crab.
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Cover with foil and put it in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes until bubbly around the edges.
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Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
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Divide among four plates and garnish with chives, if desired. Enjoy hot!
Recipe Notes
If you want to make this crab casserole truly Maryland-style, feel free to add some Old Bay Seasoning to the crab mixture.
To make this recipe gluten free, simply use gluten free butter crackers (like these) and gluten free graham crackers (like this this one). Another alternative is to use 1.5 cups unseasoned gluten free breadcrumbs (not panko, just regular breadcrumbs) with 1/2 teaspoon of light brown sugar and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon. This will replicate the taste of the butter cracker and graham cracker combo.