This Crab-Stuffed Mushroom Caps recipe is one of my favorites. Although not quite finger food, they work as either a heavy appetizer, or a side dish to a juicy, charred grilled ribeye – a kind-of surf and turf. The crab filling is light, fresh, and sweet. The Parmesan and breadcrumb provides the right finishing touch, crunchy and salty.
The Index page of this collection lists a few “Variations” pages. I hope that these pages provide inspiration, offering variations on different themes. This Crab-Stuffed Mushroom Caps recipe is featured on the Stuffed Mushroom Variations page, along with some other stuffed mushroom variations. Check it out!
Mushrooms alone bring so much complexity to any dish, but when you stuff them, they’re no longer just a background, umami component or a texture element to your meal. They can be appetizers, sides to more hearty fare, or even the main dish.
The technique for each of the stuffed mushroom recipes is pretty similar – pre-bake the mushrooms, make the filling, stuff the mushrooms, then finish baking until warmed through. However, the flavor profiles and textures are so varied. You can use small button mushrooms, large-cap mushrooms, baby Bellas, Portobellas. Each type of mushroom brings something unique. And then you stuff them, and the variations on the theme become endless.
Crab-Stuffed Mushroom Caps
Ingredients
- 12 ounces large capped mushrooms
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 1 T mayo
- 1 T lemon juice
- 4 scallions
- 2 T red bell pepper (optional)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 pound crab meat
- 1/2 t Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/4 t black pepper
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (divided)
- 1/4 cup sourdough bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and prep the mushrooms – Preheat the oven to 425℉, convection bake setting. Brush off the mushrooms and remove the stems. Rub the mushroom caps with olive oil and place the mushroom caps, gill-side up, on a lined baking tray. Sprinkle with a bit of salt, and bake for 10 minutes. Pull the mushrooms out of the oven, and pour out the liquid that has pooled in the caps. You can discard the liquid or save it to add to vegetable stock.
- Prep the vegetables and the bread crumb topping – Mince the scallions and garlic. Mince the red bell pepper, if using. Mix 1/4 cup of the Parmesan with the bread crumbs.
- Make the filling – Mix the cream cheese, mayo, lemon juice, scallions, bell pepper (optional) garlic, Old Bay, salt, pepper, and remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Gently fold in the crab meat.
- Assemble and bake – Spoon a dollop of filling on each mushroom cap, then top with the Parmesan bread crumb mixture. Bake for 10 minutes or so, until the bread crumb mixture is toasted and the stuffed mushrooms are warmed through.
Don’t you just want to pick one off of the plate? They’ll disappear quickly!