My mother-in-law, Teresa, and her sister, Marian, have been making these delicious crab melts for the last thirty years – and I finally get to bring you along. Of the many things we look forward to during the holiday season, their crab melts are at the top of everyone’s list.

I recently read a comment about the holiday season being the super bowl of hosting – and although this goes against the accessible and affordable foundation of my recipes – I do believe the holiday season deserves a treat. In this recipe, the treat is Maryland jumbo lump crab. This recipe is written as a double batch, which will make 96 pieces. We like to account for 3-4 pieces per person, so this is perfect for gatherings with about 20 people.

There’s a few things I want to note:

You can absolutely cut this recipe in half, which would make 48 pieces, and only use 1 pound of crab meat. It can then be your choice on whether you want lump, claw, or jumbo lump meat.
Your local seafood market will have different options and price ranges for crab meat, but canned crab is also an option.
We make these the day before the party to freeze overnight, then transfer the frozen melts to a large ziplock bag.
Cutting the English muffins first then topping with the fluff ensures the crab meat stays in tact with each bite.
Teresa says the Kraft Cheese Spread is easier to find during the holiday season, but most major grocery retailers should carry it.
These can stay in the freezer for up to 3-months.

Teresa’s Crab Melts

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96 pieces

servings

Ingredients

2
sticks salted butter, softened
4
5-ounce jars Kraft Old English Sharp Cheddar Cheese Spread
8-ounce block cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound lump crab meat
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
12
Thomas English Muffins

Directions

Prepare the equipment. Set out two large sheet pans, a large mixing bowl, a hand mixer, a rubber spatula, and a cookie scoop.
Make the cheese base. Add the butter, cheese spread, cream cheese, mayonnaise, Old Bay, and garlic powder to the large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat for about 2 minutes, until combined. The mixture will look lumpy at this stage. Use a rubber spatula to fold the mixture together, smoothing it out as you go.
Sort through the crab.Transfer the lump crab meat to a plate and gently sort through it with your fingers, removing any shells. Do not do this with the jumbo lump crab meat to avoid breaking up the large pieces.
Fold in the crab. Add the crab meat to the cheese mixture. Using the rubber spatula, gently fold until the crab is evenly distributed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble.
Prepare the English muffins. Place the English muffins on a large cutting board. Cut each muffin into quarters, then split each quarter so the cut sides are facing up on the baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining muffins.
Assemble. Using a cookie scoop, add one scoop of the crab mixture to each muffin piece. Continue until all pieces are topped evenly.
Freeze. Transfer the baking trays to the freezer and freeze overnight or until frozen solid. Once frozen, we recommend transferring the melts to multiple large ziplock bags for storage.
Bake.When ready to cook, set the oven to high broil. Arrange as many frozen melts as desired on a baking sheet and place on the top rack of the oven. Broil for 5–6 minutes, watching closely and rotating the tray as needed. The melts are done when golden brown and bubbly. 5-minutes may seem long to broil, but they are frozen solid.