When is the last time you enjoyed a great Crabmeat Newburg? Well, now’s the time to do so if you want to celebrate National Crabmeat Newburg Day, which is Sept. 25^th. When I was selecting my food of the month, I wanted to go with something I’ve never made before. The fact that I love crabmeat was also a deciding factor. What I like about this easy recipe is that it works well as an appetizer served with toast or crackers or as a main meal over rice or noodles. It also reminds me of my Dad, who occasionally made a wonderful Seafood Newburg on New Year’s Eve. I think he would approve of my version, but I will probably add some shrimp next time to make mine more like his.

This dish is rich, creamy and oh, so, so satisfying. It’s great to serve at a party or potluck dinner since it’s so easy to put together. Try to find your crabmeat on sale if possible – this can definitely be a budget-stretcher otherwise, and you may want to save it for special occasions.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 1 pound fresh lump crabmeat (do not used canned)
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pint light sour cream, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons sherry
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan/Reggiano cheese, finely grated
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• Ground pepper, to taste
• Sea salt, to taste
• 3-4 Scallions, diced small (use both the white and green parts)

Preparation

In large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about a minute, and then add the crabmeat and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Fold in the sour cream, sherry, tomato paste, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix well. Heat the crab mixture for several minutes, while stirring frequently. Make sure that you don’t boil the Newburg as that would make the sour cream sad.

Sprinkle with scallions and more freshly ground black pepper. Serve your Crabmeat Newburg as an appetizer with toast tips.

Or as a main meal, such as this over rice.

After taking several bites of this, Brad and I decided it needed some heat. He added fresh Habanero slices to his, while I went with crushed red pepper flakes. We agreed that the crushed red pepper was just what this needed, so I’ve added it to the ingredients list.

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!