Baked Seafood Dip

Baked seafood dip is a delicious twist on the traditional spinach dip recipe, loaded with juicy chunks of crab and shrimp. This creamy seafood dip includes a mixture of fresh spinach and cheese, baked until golden brown and bubbly. Serve it as a tasty party appetizer for all your gatherings, year-round.

Wow your guests with delicious appetizers like this hot crab dip, Sweet Chili Orange Chicken Wings, Mexican Nacho Charcuterie Board, and Southwestern Egg Rolls.

This creamy seafood dip recipe is bound to be the star of the show at your next party. It's rich, cheesy, and savory, with a hint of tanginess from the sour cream and cream cheese. Served warm with crusty bread or crackers, this crab and shrimp dip is going to become your go-to treat.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Seafood Dip Recipe
• Ingredients for Crab and Shrimp Dip
• How to Make Seafood Dip
• RECIPE VIDEO
• Tips and Tricks for the Best Seafood Dip Recipe
• Can I make Seafood Dip in advance?
• Storage
• FAQ
• Baked Seafood Dip

Why You'll Love This Seafood Dip Recipe

Quick & Easy! This recipe requires very little prep and is easy to make in advance.

Restaurant Quality! This dip is mouthwatering, indulgent, and decorative enough to be served in a restaurant.

Perfect Party Appetizer! Seafood elevates every dish. Skip the chips and dip and impress friends and family with something superb!

Ingredients for Crab and Shrimp Dip

Ingredients like mayonnaise, sour cream, and cream cheese, create a smooth foundation for a rich and flavorful seafood dip.

1. Chopped Spinach. I prefer fresh spinach because frozen spinach often has a stringy consistency. Frozen spinach releases excess water and can cause the dip to become watery.
2. Raw Shrimp. Use raw shrimp. Cooked shrimp will overcook the shrimp and make the texture too chewy. Remember to peel and devein.
3. Crab. I use claw meat for its sweet, delicate flavor, and slightly briny taste. The texture is tender and flaky.
4. Cream Cheese. Take the cream cheese out 30 minutes before cooking so it can soften to room temperature for easier mixing.
5. Sour Cream. This provides a smooth and velvety texture to the dip.
6. Mayo. This enriches the dip to make it super creamy.
7. Green Onion. This has a mild and fresh taste with a subtle onion flavor.
8. Seasoning. Old Bay seasoning, lemon pepper seasoning, black pepper
9. Cheese. Use a blend of cheeses for depth of flavor. I like the combination of mozzarella cheese ad muenster cheese.
10. Aromatics. Use diced onions and minced garlic when sautéing the shrimp.

How to Make Seafood Dip

With just a few steps and minimal prep, this dip comes together in less than thirty minutes!

Prepare Ingredients

Begin with preheating the oven to 375 degrees and allowing the cream cheese to soften. Then prep your veggies by chopping the spinach, small dicing the onion and green onion.

Once the veggies are prepped, peel and devein the shrimp and roughly chop. Leave 1-2 pieces whole for garnish (this is optional). Combine all ingredients except the crab, shrimp, garlic and onion into a medium sized bowl, stir until well combined.

Parcook Shrimp

Once your small saute pan is heated to medium heat, saute the shrimp, onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes. We are simply par cooking the shrimp, garlic and onion. The shrimp will not fully cook but will continue to cook in the oven.

Assemble Seafood Dip

Shortly after, combine the creamed spinach mixture with the crab, par cooked shrimp, garlic and onions and stir until combined. By the time this step occurs, the oven should be at temperature.

Quickly transfer the creamed spinach and shrimp mixture to an oven safe bowl, top with additional cheese (and whole shrimp/optional).

Bake Dip

Bake for 20 minutes until cooked through. Finally, after the dip has baked for twenty minutes and shrimp are cooked through, turn the oven to broil. At this instant, allow the dip to broil until golden and bubbly.

Now that the dip is cooked, allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

RECIPE VIDEO

Tips and Tricks for the Best Seafood Dip Recipe

• Can't find muenster cheese? You can use extra mozzarella or monterey jack instead.
• The recipe calls for one cup of Muenster cheese. This will be split into half but if you don't want to top the dip with Muenster, then double the mozzarella!
• The onion, mayo and Old Bay are optional but highly encouraged!
• Taste the creamed spinach mixture before adding the par cooked shrimp so you can make any necessary adjustments.
• When broiling, be sure to watch this step as the dip will brown very quickly.
• Serve immediately for best results.
• Serve this spinach crab dip with hearty breads like Italian loaf sliced, naan or crackers. It also pairs perfectly with bubbly, check out my favorite here!

Can I make Seafood Dip in advance?

Absolutely. This works as a make-ahead appetizer. Simply assemble the dish and cover it with aluminum foil. Then bake just before you plan to serve it.

If you are bringing this dip to a potluck or traveling outside of your home with this dish, prepare this recipe up until the baking step and finish the last steps at your final destination.

If that's not an option, bake and broil at home and cover in a warm place until ready to serve.

Storage

Refrigerate leftover dip in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat leftovers in the oven or microwave. You can also eat it cold or at room temperature.

FAQ

Can you freeze crab dip?

You can freeze crab dip before or after baking. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before baking or reheating.

What is seafood dip made of?

Seafood dip is a versatile dip that can be made using a variety of ingredients. This recipe includes crab, shrimp, mayo, sour cream, cream cheese, spinach, cheese, and an array of seasonings.

What tastes good with crab dip?

Creamy crab dip pairs well with crispy crackers, crusty bread, or fresh vegetable sticks for a satisfying contrast in texture.

I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS EASY SEAFOOD DIP RECIPE!

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