Fresh Crab Nachos are a ‘sheet pan dinner’ you can eat with your hands

Springtime means quicker dinners so we can spend our time outside when the gorgeous weather permits. If you’ve been reading this column for the past four or so years, you might have noticed that I didn’t write about visiting our favorite vacation destination, Cabo San Lucas, last month. That trip will have to wait until we are both fully vaccinated, but we can take our taste buds to Cabo with this week’s recipe for Fresh Crab Nachos.

This is an Ina Garten recipe, and if you’ve made her recipes, you know they are always brilliant, incorporate quality ingredients , always turn out, and become a part of your regular rotation. Years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Garten at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. She was as charming, down-to-earth, and kind in person as she comes across on television. How refreshing it was to meet a famous chef with such incredible grace.

You could call this recipe a “sheet pan dinner,” which is a popular food trend since it means way fewer dishes after a meal. This recipe is a fun, eat-with-your-hands, quick-to-the-table dinner. If you’re not a seafood fan, you could easily swap the crab out for some chicken or ground beef. I think crab meat is delicious, and pairing it with Mexican food makes it even more irresistible. If you like a cocktail, a margarita or Paloma would pair perfectly with these crab nachos.

Cheers to spring and all the hope it brings.

Fresh Crab Nachos

6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

½ cup good mayonnaise, such as Hellmann’s

¼ cup sour cream

12 ounces fresh jumbo lump crabmeat (see note)

¾ cup minced scallions, white and green parts (4 to 5 scallions)

1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles

Grated zest of 1 lime

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 ounces sturdy yellow corn chips, such as Garden of Eatin’

6 ounces freshly grated extra-sharp white Cheddar

6 ounces freshly grated Monterey Jack cheese

4 ounces canned pickled jalapeno pepper slices, drained

5 large plum tomatoes, seeded, cored and small-diced

1 cup minced yellow onion

3 tablespoons minced fresh jalapeno pepper, seeds removed

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon good olive oil

1 large ripe Hass avocado, pitted, peeled and 1/3-inch diced

3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley or cilantro

Juice of ½ lime, for serving

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream until smooth. Gently stir in the crab meat, scallions, chiles, lime zest, 2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper and set aside.

Distribute half of the corn chips on a large (12 x 18 x 2-inch) ovenproof serving platter (or a sheet pan). Spoon half the crab mixture over the chips in dollops and then sprinkle with half of the Cheddar, half of the Monterey Jack and all of the pickled jalapenos. Sprinkle with the remaining chips, then distribute the remaining crab mixture and cheeses on top. Bake for 20 to 30 mixtures, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Meanwhile, prepare the topping. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, jalapeno peppers, lime juice, olive oil, avocado, cilantro and 1 teaspoon salt. Spoon onto the nachos, sprinkle with lime juice and serve hot.

Notes:

I prefer jumbo lump crab meat to shredded because you can really taste the crab. Pick through the crab meat to remove any shells. Be sure to wash your hands after handling the chiles and pickled jalapenos so you don’t get the oils in your eyes.

barefootcontessa.com

This story was originally published March 9, 2021 at 1:26 PM.