Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

– These quick and creamy Crab Stuffed Mushrooms are filled with fresh crab, cream cheese, bread crumbs, garlic and Parmesan making them the perfect appetizer. They are easy to prepare and delicious for your holiday entertaining.

INGREDIENTS
– 12 large white button mushrooms cleaned with stems removed and discarded

– Olive oil spray

– 1 box (8 ounce) cream cheese softened

– 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

– 2 cloves minced garlic

– 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

– 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions

– 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

– 2–3 tablespoons fresh chopped Italian parsley

– 1 cup cooked shelled crab finely chopped (I use King Crab)

INSTRUCTIONS

– Preheat oven to 375 degrees

– Lightly spray mushrooms with olive oil spray and arrange mushrooms cap side down on a cookie sheet. In a large bowl mix cream cheese, bread crumbs, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, green onions, Parmesan, parsley and crab.

– Scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling into each mushroom. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn the broiler on the last minute of cooking to lightly brown the tops. Stay close by as I have always found broilers unpredictable.

NOTES:

– You can add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper for a little kick.

– I got this hint from a reader. Precook your mushrooms for about 2-3 minutes. Turn upside down on a rack and allow to drain so they don’t drip when you bite into them.

– If you like things to pack a little punch than add a little bit of cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper.

– I use the great big button mushrooms but for a party you certainly could use the smaller mushrooms and this recipe would go further. Just remember to reduce your cooking time by a few minutes for the smaller mushrooms.

– Use cooked crab meat and chop it up pretty fine.

– Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is a must. It has much better flavored than the stuff in the canister so use it.

– Fresh bread crumbs are amazing in this recipe. You can always use croutons and crush them in a bag or a food processor. Most croutons have less preservatives and artificial ingredients than processed bread crumbs.