Foodie Friday: Crab-Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushroom Appetizers

A nice change from the usual crab-cake type stuffing for mushroom caps adds the smooth texture of cream cheese.

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This is for a small batch since I was just making for two of us. Easy to increase by using the whole packages of cream cheese and crab and slightly adjusting seasonings.

Kathy Whyte/WNBF News

Crab & Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms (makes 6-8 depending on size of mushroom caps. Prep time about 1 hr. including baking)

6-8 mushrooms, stems and gills removed (to make a teeny more room for stuffing)

4 oz. softened cream cheese (half brick)

2 Tb. vegetable oil

4 oz. (half package) "Special" crab meat (not as expensive as lump and is in smaller bits, better for stuffing and dips)

2 green onions thinly sliced (including green part)

1/4 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

dash cracked black pepper

1/8 tsp. ground dry mustard

2 Tb. unseasoned bread crumbs (or cracker crumbs)

Paprika for dusting.

Pinch of coarse Kosher salt

Kathy Whyte/WNBF News

Heat oil in a medium pan and saute mushroom caps, turning often until they are tender. Put softened cream cheese in a bowl and smush it around until smooth. As the mushrooms cool, they release juice. Carefully pick up the caps with tongs and drop the juice (along with any of the juice from the pan) into the cream cheese for added flavor. Stir in the onions, Old Bay, pepper, and dry mustard until smooth. Add in the crab and bread crumbs and gently mix until incorporated. Only put in enough bread crumbs or crushed saltines to hold the stuffing together. Spoon the mix into the cooled mushroom caps, dust with paprika and a little sprinkle of coarse Kosher or sea salt on top. If making ahead, cover and refrigerate until about an hour before serving. Let the stuffed mushrooms come to room temperature before baking in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes until lightly browned on top.

Let cool just a little before removing to serving dish so the cheese/crab mixture doesn't fall out of the mushroom cap.

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Source: Foodie Friday: Crab-Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushroom Appetizers