Cheesy Crab Dip with Artichokes & Greek Peperoncini

It’s the early 90s, Berkeley, Ca.  I’m being treated to a nice dinner at Skates On The Bay, a surf-and-turf restaurant literally on the San Francisco Bay.  We order the crab and artichoke dip with focaccia bread.  I was hooked.

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It was creamy.  It was crabby.  It was artichokey.  It was good.  It was imperative that I learn how to make it because going there on a regular basis was out of my college student, part-time worker pay range.  Not only that, but I now live three hours away, so it’s not really a local restaurant for me anymore.

I finally nailed down a recipe that is a good copy of this dip, which is still on their menu (so you know it must be good).  Over the years I’ve made many renditions, and pretty much all of them have turned out well.  This time I decided to add a Greek touch to spice it up a bit, without actually making it spicy.  Obviously it worked out, or I wouldn’t be sharing it with you, because I’m not that kind of person.  I’m nice.  Really.

Cheesy Crab Dip with Artichoke & Greek Peperoncini Recipe

• Difficulty: easier than getting back to Berkeley for dinner
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Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. fresh lump crab meat (canned can also be used)
• 1 1/4 c. mayonnaise
• 1/2 c. drained and finely sliced marinated artichoke hearts (moderately pack the cup)
• 1/4 c. drained and finely sliced Greek peperoncini (moderately pack the cup)
• 2 1/4 + 1/4 ounces grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 450° F.  In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together until combined, using the 2 1/4 ounces of cheese.  Put into an oven proof baking dish large enough for the dip to be at least an inch deep.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 ounce of parmesan evenly across the surface of the dip.

Cover the dish either with a lid or foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the dip is heated through and the cheese on top is light golden brown.  You don’t want to overbake or the oils will separate out from the mayonnaise and cheese.  If this occurs, you can just stir it back into the dip once it cools.  Serve the dip warm or cold with sliced baguette, crackers, or focaccia bread just like they do at Skates!