Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

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When I’m looking to impress guests at a holiday party, these crab stuffed mushrooms are the appetizer I serve. They’re made with real crab meat, cream cheese, and a buttery Ritz topping. I’ll show you which crab to buy so they don’t come out fishy, and how to stuff them the night before so party day is easy.

Crab isn’t cheap. If you’re shelling out (pun intended) money for fresh crab, it had better taste like it. During testing, I found there’s a lot of bad crab out there dressed up in nice packaging. I’m lucky to live in Maine where a good seafood market is down the road, and I rely on the folks behind the counter to steer me toward the good stuff. I realize not everyone has that, so that’s what I’m going to do for you here.

I’ve been working on this recipe for two years and made plenty of mistakes along the way. What finally worked is a crab-packed filling that tastes like seafood without being overwhelming and still stands up to the flavor of a mushroom.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• You can taste the crab. The cream cheese is a binder, not the whole flavor. This is not crab rangoon in a mushroom.
• Make them the night before. Stuff the caps, cover, and refrigerate. Bake when guests show up.
• Buttery Ritz topping. Crushed crackers and melted butter bake into a golden crust that stays crisp. And it’s very New England-y to put Ritz with seafood.
• One-handed party food. Drink in one hand, mushroom in the other. The filling stays put, so nothing ends up down your shirt.
• Special enough for Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve apps, easy enough for a Tuesday. About 45 minutes start to finish.
• One mixing bowl, one baking dish. This is an easy stuffed mushroom recipe, not a project.

Picking the Right Crab Meat

The crab you use decides whether these mushrooms taste like sweet crab or generic white fish, so read this before you shop.

Fresh crab is sweet, mild, and should taste “clean.” Not like a can of fish. As crab ages or gets processed, it loses that sweetness and picks up a fishy, strong odor, which means your mushrooms taste fishy. I found that out in testing.

Important note: If your crab smells sharp, sour, or rancid, toss it.

Here’s how I rank the options, best to worst.

1. Fresh caught, precooked crab from a seafood market. My first choice every time. Yes, it’s expensive. For the holidays, it’s worth the splurge, and it makes a bigger difference than any other ingredient in this recipe. Fresh crab from the seafood counter at the grocery store works too; I’m talking about the crab someone would have to pack up for you.
2. Frozen crab, North Atlantic if you can find it. My second choice. Frozen crab is frozen soon after processing and hopefully at sea, so it’s usually fresher than the heat-sealed refrigerated cans. Thaw it in the fridge and drain it well.
3. Shelf-stable canned crab. Not my favorite, because it tastes like very little. But tasting like nothing beats tasting like fish, which is why I’d pick this over the refrigerated stuff. I’ve tested this recipe using Bumble Bee Lump Crabmeat.
4. Refrigerated crab labeled “pasteurized” or “heat treated.” Skip it. No shade, but lump crab like “Boss brand” just doesn’t have a clean flavor. These sealed tubs and cans are still expensive, and in my testing, they tasted fishy and nothing like crab. Not worth your hard-earned money.

Whatever you buy, smell it before it goes in the bowl. A little fishy? Soak it in milk for 10 minutes and drain. Smells rotten? Toss it.

Lump vs Claw

Claw meat is firmer, has a stronger flavor, costs less, and holds up well in a filling like this. Lump is sweeter and more tender but pricier. Either works here. When I buy crab from the fish market, the container is a mixture of both.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• White button mushrooms – The stems and gills get scooped out to make room for filling and get rid of extra water. I like white button mushrooms for their milder mushroom flavor, so the crab is the star.
• Fresh crab meat – Pre-cooked and drained well. This is the flavor. Read the crab section above before you buy.
• Cream cheese – The cream cheese is a great binder for the filling and keeps the crab moist without overpowering the flavor.
• Parmesan cheese – Adds salt and a nutty, savory flavor without weighing the filling down.
• Garlic and Green Onion – For a little freshness and to cut the richness of the filling. I use the white and light green part of the onion for the filling and the dark green for sprinkling on top.
• Italian seasoning – Easy herb flavor from one jar.
• Coarse Kosher salt – The filling will taste a little salty on its own. That’s on purpose, because the mushroom caps aren’t seasoned. Use half as much if you only have table salt.
• Black pepper
• Lemon wedges – for squeezing over the top before serving.
• Ritz crackers – These will be crushed for the topping. Ritz are buttery and salty, and they brown better than plain breadcrumbs.
• Melted salted butter – Holds the Ritz crumbs together and helps them turn golden on top of the mushrooms.

How to Make Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Rinse the mushrooms to get the dirt off and pat them dry.

Step 2:

Snap out the stems and scoop out the gills with a small spoon. Arrange the caps hollow side up in a greased 13×9 baking dish or on a baking sheet.

Step 3:

Beat the softened cream cheese, parmesan, garlic, white and light green scallion parts, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper with an electric mixer until smooth.

Step 4:

Mix in the crab meat just until combined.

Step 5:

Fill each cap with about 1½ teaspoons of filling. Start with the smaller caps and give the bigger ones a little extra. This amount fills 20 caps.

Step 6:

Mix the crushed Ritz crackers with the melted butter. Dip the top of each mushroom into the crumbs. Scoop up any crumbs that fall into the pan and pile them back onto any mushrooms that look skimpy. This is optional, but you can sprinkle extra parm over the top of the mushroom caps before baking.

Step 7:

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and the topping is golden. If the tops aren’t browned, broil for 2 minutes.

Let the mushrooms sit for 5 minutes to cool a little and set up. Sprinkle with the scallion greens, add a squeeze of lemon, and serve with extra wedges.

How Long to Bake Stuffed Mushrooms

At 375°F, stuffed mushrooms take 20 to 25 minutes. You’re looking for two things. The cap should be soft when you squeeze it between two fingers (careful they’re hot!) and the topping should be golden brown. If the filling is hot but the top is pale, 2 minutes under the broiler fixes it. Stay close, because cracker crumbs go from golden to burnt fast. Avoid over baking, or the crab will taste fishy.

You’ll see some liquid in the bottom of the pan. That’s normal. Mushrooms are mostly water and they let some of it go as they cook. Let them rest for 5 minutes, then move them to a platter with tongs so the liquid stays behind.

Tips

• The crab matters. Use freshly caught and cooked crab from the fish market if possible.
• Buy small to medium mushroom caps. Not tiny, not huge. Large caps are hard to eat with your fingers at a party. A 24-ounce package usually has a good mix of sizes.
• Scoop the gills. It makes more room for filling and removes the dark, wet part of the cap that makes stuffed mushrooms waterlogged.
• You can wash your mushrooms. It’s a myth that mushrooms can’t be washed. They’ll only take on water if you were to soak them for a really long time. Wash them like you do other veggies. I wash them before removing the stems.
• Don’t overstuff. About 1½ teaspoons per cap is a good amount. The caps are barely heaped, so the filling won’t fall out when you bite into them.
• Drain the crab well. If it came packed in water, press it in a strainer first. Wet crab makes a loose filling.
• Got leftover mushrooms? Depending on the size of the mushrooms in the pack, I’ll end up with some extras. Keep them in the fridge and use them in an omelet, ground beef stroganoff, or add to a green bean casserole around the holidays.

Variations and Substitutions

• Baby bella mushrooms – Swap for the white buttons. Same size, a little more flavor, and they hold their shape well.
• Flavored cream cheese – Use flavored (like onion and chive) or Boursin in the place of cream cheese.
• Old Bay – Use ½ teaspoon of Old Bay in place of the Italian seasoning and salt for a Maryland-style version.
• Panko instead of Ritz – Toss ⅓ cup panko with the melted butter and sprinkle with parmesan before baking.
• Add a little heat – A pinch of cayenne or a few shakes of hot sauce in the filling.
• Fresh herbs – Swap the Italian seasoning for 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley or chives.
• Gluten free – Use gluten free crackers or gluten free panko for the topping.

Make Them Ahead

Stuff the caps the night before, cover the dish, and refrigerate. The next day, add the Ritz topping and bake. Holding the topping until bake time keeps the crumbs crisp instead of letting them soften in the fridge overnight.

Note: Cold mushrooms straight from the fridge may need an extra 3 to 5 minutes in the oven.

If you’re building a whole holiday menu, these go in the oven first and come out while the turkey or glazed ham finishes. Nobody has to wait around hungry.

Storage Instructions

Store leftover stuffed mushrooms in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days. They’re best reheated before eating.

How to Reheat Stuffed Mushrooms

Reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through, about 10 minutes. The oven keeps the topping crisp.

I don’t recommend microwaving these.

Can You Freeze Stuffed Mushrooms?

I don’t recommend freezing. Mushrooms are mostly water, and they turn mushy once they thaw. The cracker topping goes soft too. If you want a head start, stuff them the night before instead.

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