Description
Savory crab and cream cheese mushroom bites combine classic coastal flavors with elegant appetizer techniques. Delicate mushroom cups filled with rich seafood promise a delightful start to any gathering you’ll eagerly share with friends.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb (454 g) large white or cremini mushrooms
- 8 oz (226 g) crab meat (fresh or canned)
- 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (50 g) grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup (60 g) breadcrumbs (Italian seasoned preferred)
- 2 tbsps fresh parsley or green onions, chopped
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove minced)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C), positioning rack in center for optimal heat distribution.
- Mushroom Preparation: Carefully clean mushrooms, delicately remove stems, and create spacious cavities for filling, ensuring uniform size and shape.
- Filling Creation: Combine crab meat, cream cheese, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, and minced garlic in a mixing bowl, stirring until ingredients integrate into a smooth, cohesive mixture.
- Flavor Enhancement: Gently fold in finely chopped parsley and Worcestershire sauce, allowing these elements to elevate the filling’s complexity and aromatic profile.
- Stuffing and Arranging: Generously fill each mushroom cap with the crab mixture, mounding slightly above the edges, then arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet with strategic spacing.
- Baking Process: Transfer to preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, monitoring until mushrooms develop a golden-brown exterior and edges become tantalizingly bubbly.
- Finishing Touch: Remove from oven and allow bites to rest for 3-4 minutes, enabling flavors to meld and filling to stabilize before serving warm as an elegant appetizer.
Notes
- Mushroom Selection: Choose firm, uniform white button or cremini mushrooms with intact caps for the best presentation and even cooking.
- Moisture Management: Pat mushrooms completely dry after cleaning to prevent soggy filling and ensure crisp, golden edges during baking.
- Crab Meat Quality: Use fresh lump crab meat or high-quality canned meat, carefully checking for shell fragments before mixing into the filling.
- Temperature Precision: Allow cream cheese to soften at room temperature for 30 minutes before mixing to create a smooth, easily blendable filling.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 123
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 268 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 37 mg