Hot Cajun Crab Dip Puffs

Hot Cajun Crab Dip nestled on a warm puff pastry! These Louisiana Crab Puffs are outrageously delicious, easy-to-make and make an impressive appetizer that’s ready in about 30-minutes!

Use prepared puff pastry dough and top it with the savory no-mayonnaise lump crab meat mixture!

You’ll love these two-bite appetizers on game day, during the holidays or on any day!

Louisiana Crab Puff on platter garnished with Parmesan cheese and chives.

I usually serve these crab puff appetizers around Christmas and New Year’s, but you can serve them any time you want!

The topping is a bit like Louisiana Cajun Hot Crab dip, but there’s no mayonnaise or sour cream in this recipe…and the warm crust is fluffy and delicious!

Why you’ll love these!

Perfect for a special occasions – crab meat is expensive, so if you’re entertaining for a special occasion, this is the perfect appetizer because you don’t need a lot of crab meat

Easy to make – the prepared puff pastry is a huge time saver; just slice it into squares and top it with the crab mixture then bake

Impressive – these look really elegant when served on a pretty platter with a few garnishes…cherry tomatoes, chives, Parmesan cheese or sprinkle with a pinch of paprika

Great party food – serve a warm baking dish of just the Cajun Crab Dip topping as a spread or dip with some Ritz crackers!

I use fresh blue lump crab meat from Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana. You can usually find it at the grocery store in the seafood section over by the fresh oysters.

I haven’t ever made this with canned or imitation crab meat, so I can’t comment on how it would taste.

Next, you’ll need : cream cheese, Fontina or Mozzarella cheese, green onions, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne powder, (or Creole or Cajun seasonings), Worcestershire sauce, fresh lemon juice, Louisiana or Crystal hot sauce, an egg, a little flour and a dab of water.

Ingredients labeled on the counter.

How to make it

Roll out two sheets of pastry dough to 12″ x 12″ inches; make 3 horizontal cuts and 3 vertical cuts; combine egg and a little water for an egg wash for the pastry; set aside

Each pastry sheet yields 16 squares; cut both sheets – one for the top, one for the bottom; chill squares in a single layer on baking pan in the refrigerator for about 15-minutes

Make the crab puff topping – combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse 2-3 times until the crab mixture is well-combined; taste for salt and seasonings- add a dash of ground black pepper if you like, then put a small dollop on each dough square, lightly brush the pastry with an egg wash and bake

Note: if you don’t want to fool with the puff pastry, just place the Cajun crab spread in an oven safe  baking dish and bake uncovered at 350°F until warm and bubbly!

Dip in white serving bowl.

Here’s how to make the crab puffs:

Collage of three steps showing how to make.

Tips

This recipe makes 16 Louisiana Cajun crab dip puffs- each has about a tablespoon of the mixture; you might have a little leftover

I used 1 tablespoon per 3″ x 3″ pastry square. Some of the topping ran over the edges of the dough as it baked.

If this bothers you, use a little less than 1 tablespoon per square.

Puff pastry “puffs” best when it’s slightly chilled and placed in a hot oven, so make sure the pastry dough is chilled and the oven is hot!

About the seasonings: if you don’t have garlic powder, paprika or cayenne, substitute these three seasonings with 1 1/2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning, Creole seasoning or Old Bay seasoning. (I used Tony Chachere Cajun and Creole seasonings; Creole is hotter than Cajun, so if you don’t want a spicy cajun crab dip on your pastry, use the Cajun or Old Bay seasoning.)

Don’t skip the step about refrigerating the pastry squares; cold pastry puffs up better than room temperature Once you remove the Louisiana Crab Puffs from the oven, immediately remove them from the baking pan with a spatula…just set them on a plate to cool off a bit before you plate and garnish them

Serve these warm or at room temperature – again, there’s no mayonnaise or sour cream, so they will hold up well

I don’t use a lot of salt in my recipes, so…if you find this needs a little salt, you can either sprinkle a little Kosher salt, Parmesan and add a few drops of lemon juice to the finished crab puff

Close up image of crab topping on pastry.
This is one tablespoon of filling on a 3 x 3 square; the crab meat mixture spreads out a bit, so if you want yours perfectly centered, use less than 1 tablespoon of topping per square

Crab Puff being served onto small white plate.

Make ahead

If you’re short on time, make the no-mayo hot cajun crab meat mixture up to 3 days in advance. When ready to serve, warm the crab dip in the microwave, then simply assemble the puff pastry and bake!

Serving suggestions and reheating

If you’re hosting a party, you might want to go ahead and double the hot Cajun crab dip ingredients and use two pastry sheets. Serve with your favorite crackers, pita chips, Naan bread or warm french bread!

I usually include a dip spreader if I don’t serve this on the puff pastry, simply because it’s a thick dip

Garnish with green spring onions or fresh parsley, a hint of Louisiana hot sauce and you’re good to go!

These reheat best when popped in the microwave for just a few minutes…like 2-3 minutes…any longer and the dough gets rubbery…

Related recipes

If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a comment and rating! I love hearing from you! Thank you!

Crab Puff being served onto small white plate

Hot Cajun Crab Puffs

Seasoned blue crab meat served on a warm puff pastry-the perfect appetizer!
5 from 5 votes
Print Rate
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American, International, Louisiana
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 16 puffs
Author: Anecia Hero

Equipment

  • Pastry Brush
  • Rolling pin

Ingredients 

  • 1 puff pastry , 1 sheet; they usually come 2 to a box
  • 8 ounces crab meat , fresh; drained
  • 8 ounces cream cheese , room temperature
  • 4 ounces shredded Fontina cheese
  • 2 tablespoons green onions , minced very fine
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon paprika , smoked
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt , kosher
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2-3 drops Louisiana Hot Pepper Sauce (optional)
  • 1 whole egg , for egg wash
  • 3 tablespoons flour , for rolling out puff pastry dough
  • 1 tablespoon water , for egg wash

Instructions 

Prep

  • Preheat oven to 400ºF
  • Allow puff pastry to soften at room temperature for about 15 minutes
    1 puff pastry
  • Drain crab meat in colander; set aside (do not rinse it)
    8 ounces crab meat
  • Chop green onions very finely; set aside
    2 tablespoons green onions
  • In a small bowl, lightly beat egg and add water; this is the egg wash; combine well; set aside
    1 whole egg, 1 tablespoon water

Prepare Puff Pastry

  • Scatter flour on level surface (countertop) and unfold pastry sheets
    3 tablespoons flour
  • Unfold each pastry sheet and, use a rolling pin to roll the pastry dough to about 12" x 12" inches
  • Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter; make three horizontal cuts every 3 inches; then, make three vertical cuts every 3 inches (you're cutting 3" x 3" squares of dough)
  • Place dough squares on ungreased, clean baking sheet and refrigerate for about 15 minutes while you're making the crab meat topping

Prepare Crab Meat Topping

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine drained crab meat, room temperature cream cheese, shredded Fontina cheese, green onion, garlic powder, paprika, salt, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and cayenne (optional) and Louisiana hot sauce (optional) See Recipe Notes
    8 ounces cream cheese, 2 tablespoons green onions, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2-3 drops Louisiana Hot Pepper Sauce, 4 ounces shredded Fontina cheese
  • Remove pastry squares from refrigerator and place on prepared baking pan
    1 puff pastry
  • Top each square with about 1 tablespoon of crab meat mixture (See Recipe Notes)
  • Place another pastry square on top of the filling; brush a little of the egg wash around the edges of the pastry the press the top to the bottom to seal
    1 whole egg, 1 tablespoon water
  • Place baking sheet on middle rack in oven; lightly coat with egg wash; bake for 15-20 minutes, or until dough is golden brown
  • Remove and plate; garnish with shredded parmesan and chives

Notes

Draining the fresh lump crab meat
Use a fine-meshed strainer and use the back of a spoon to push juice out
Topping
  • 1 tablespoon of the topping is plenty; however on some of mine, the topping melted over the pastry
  • If you want "pretty" pastries, use a little less than 1 tablespoon per 3 x 3 square and try to shape the topping into a ball...that way, it won't spread as much
Puff Pastry
Puff pastry "puffs" best when it's slightly chilled and the oven is HOT. Be sure to refrigerate the pastry squares before you top them so they'll be cool when they go into the oven
Cheese:
If you don't have Fontina cheese, substitute with shredded Mozzarella cheese.
If you want to serve this as a dip, don't put it on puff pastry; put in in an oven-safe baking dish and bake at 350°F, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes; allow to rest before serving; serve as a hot dip or use a spreader knife.

Nutrition Estimate

Serving: 1cupCalories: 152kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 5gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 286mgPotassium: 72mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 259IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 24mgIron: 1mg
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