Crab Casserole

Merry Christmas week!

Okay, I have a confession to make: One of my weaknesses is a good Chinese Buffet. I love Chinese food in general, but when I get to sample small helpings of all my favorites, I'm in my happy place!

However, I'm the only one in our household that feels that way. So when we go out to eat, we choose somewhere that we both enjoy. The result? It's been a while!

But earlier this month, when I was visiting my dad in Indiana, we went to his favorite buffet for lunch one day.

Guys, they had this new dish I had never seen before! (I'm sure you already know all about it, LOL!) It was a casserole made with fake crab (aka surimi) and cream cheese. It was like crab rangoon, but with more crab and less rangoon! I had two helpings!

And you guessed it, once I got home I started craving it... So I went hunting for a recipe. When I searched on-line and found dozens of recipes for "Chinese Buffet Crab Casserole," I realized that I was the only one in the world who hadn't known about this delicacy.

The main ingredient in this dish is seafood (of course,) but the recipes went from all surimi, to combinations of canned crab meat and fresh shrimp. The cheeses varied too, as well as other seasonings.

I came up with a combination I thought sounded like the casserole I had enjoyed so much and I made it for a Christmas party with the ladies from church.

Jan's Crab Casserole

ingredients:

about a pound of surimi (aka fake crab)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon minced onion
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (reserve 1/4 cup)

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl (except the reserved 1/4 cup cheese.)

Spoon it into a greased casserole dish. I used my 8"x 12", but a 9" x 13" will work great.

Bake in a 350° oven for about 30 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbly and the cheese is beginning to brown on top.

This casserole is delicious hot, but I had leftovers, so I tried them cold, too. Delicious both ways! And it's a great topping for a cracker or pita chip!

And I'm definitely going to save this recipe for future special occasions.

Since this is the day before Christmas Eve, I want to wish you and yours a very special, peace-filled Christmas!

Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.

You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com