Whether it’s a fancy dinner party or casual tailgate, these crab stuffed mushrooms will wow your guests. It has a creamy cheesy filling, chock full of crab!
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Wipe mushrooms (about 20 pieces) with a damp cloth to clean. Remove stems. Place mushroom caps on the prepared baking sheet.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the filling ingredients.
Place a heaping tablespoonful of crab mixture into each mushroom cap.
In a small bowl, combine Panko bread crumbs (1/2 cup) and melted butter (2 tablespoons). Sprinkle evenly over filled mushroom caps. Bake in the preheated oven, for 20-30 minutes, or until heat through and the filling is hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with chopped parsley (2 tablespoons) and serve.
Notes
Mushroom prep – To wash or not to wash? The general consensus for prepping button mushrooms that are destined for cooking is that you do want to wash them. Yes, they’ll absorb a teeny bit of water thanks to their spongy texture, but it’s an insignificant amount that will easily evaporate during the cooking process.
A salad spinner works great for this job. You should also avoid the knife when removing the stems. Just pinch them between your fingers and rock them back and forth to remove them before stuffing them.
Don’t throw the stems away! You can toss them into veggie stock or chop them up for an omelet the next day.
Lighten up – If you skip the breadcrumb topping, you’ll make these crab stuffed mushrooms low carb.
To replace the crunch, try sprinkling the top with crumbled, crispy bacon or chopped toasted walnuts.
If you like the idea of the entrée version of this dish, you can also try one of the healthy crabs stuffed portobello mushroom recipes, basically ditching the cheese altogether and using a teeny bit of milk and breadcrumbs to bind the crab enough for stuffing.
Bring the heat – I know lots of us have a “spicy” tooth, and you can certainly play around with the filling in this recipe.
Replace the Old Bay seasoning with Cajun seasoning, use Pepper Jack instead of the mozzarella, and add a teaspoon of hot sauce or a half cup of chopped pickled jalapenos.