Pure heaven for all seafood and cheese lovers! Amazing cheese dip made with lot’s of warm, gooey cheese, shrimp, scallops and crab.
If you fit the category of seafood and cheese junkie, this dip is definitely for you. If you’re not quite there yet, you will be after you try this dip. It’s pure cheesy heaven…with shrimp, scallops and crab. I even got my picky little sister addicted. At first, she was trying to figure out a way to just eat the shrimp and when I told her it was impossible and should just try it all with the scallops and crab, she was a goner. She blew through more than half of the dish in 30 minutes. (Although, taking an online test at the same time may have slowed her down.)
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a big cast-iron cookware and skillet addict and when I discovered this adorable cast iron dish at World Market and my first thought was, “ooh, I don’t have this one yet!” Yes, I’m collecting cast iron dishes and skillets in all shapes and sizes. I’m not even close to having everything but some day I will. I love cast iron cookware because of how nicely it cooks my food, how loyal it is (some skillets can live forever if taken care of), I love that they can go on stove top and oven, and I love the rustic look of it when you serve something in a cast iron dish.
The second I picked up this dish, I knew that it was meant for something great. More importantly, I wanted to break it in with something I absolutely love… and that would be seafood and cheese. This dip was the perfect way to break in my new kitchen addition.
I’m sure you’ve noticed that I used mascarpone cheese in this recipe. I love mascarpone but I understand that it’s a pricey item and not as easy to find for everyone. So, in order to save you time and money, yes, it can absolutely be substituted. You can use Neufchâtel cheese, which you can find right next to cream cheese, and a little extra heavy cream. I find it just a bit softer and milder than cream cheese and would be a nice, cheap and accessible substitution. If you can’t get your hands on Neufchâtel cheese either, go ahead and use cream cheese.
Seafood and Cheese Dip
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup bay scallops
- 3/4 cup small shrimp
- 1/2 cup minced Vidalia onion
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp white wine
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Salt
- 4 oz mascarpone cheese*
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 oz lump crab meat
- Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 and lightly grease a baking dish of choice. (This recipe makes about 3 cups so choose a dish that will hold it.)
- In a medium bowl, combine mascarpone cheese, shredded cheeses, heavy cream, pressed garlic, crab meat and salt. Mix very well until all evenly mixed. (Don't be afraid to use your clean hands to mix thoroughly.) Set aside.
- Preheat a cooking pan over medium heat. Add butter and let it melt. Add onion and saute until translucent.
- Add scallops and shrimp. Cook for about a minute. Add wine, lemon juice and salt. Cook just until shrimp turn pink and scallops are opaque. (Using baby scallops and small shrimp is good because of similarity in size for even cooking.)
- Drain cooked shrimp/scallop/onion mixture of all the juice and add it to the mixing bowl with cheese. Use a spoon to mix as much as you can.
- Transfer the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake it for 15-17 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Nutrition
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Brenda says
what does the * next to the cheese in the ingredients mean?
LyubaB says
Hi Brenda, it’s referenced in the post that you can substitute the mascarpone cheese for Neufchâtel cheese since mascarpone can be hard to find and tends to be a little pricey.
kathy says
correction to my email address ..I believe I made a typo
Kathy says
Hi there,
Want to make this dip but the recipe does not state how much crab meat to use..Shrimp and Scallops are 3/4 c each. Is it safe to assume the crab is the same measurement?
Thanks
Kathy
kathy says
OMG forgive me please..I see the 3oz of crab at the bottom of the recipe..sooo sorry for being an idiot
lyuba says
I’m so sorry for the late response, Kathy! I’m so glad you saw the amount though. (I had a little trouble opening my email before it got responded.) I hope you liked it!
Kathy says
can you spell OUTSTANDING:)
lyuba says
Yipee! I’s so glad you like it!!
Lee says
I’ve seen recipes for Mascarpone on pinterest but has never tried making it. This looks delicious!
lyuba says
I love using Mascarpone 🙂 I hope you will like it too!
Thank you, Lee!
Roxana says
Oh man this looks so awesome! Love all that savory, cheesy goodness!
lyuba says
Thank you so much, Roxana!!
Amy says
A couple of times a year we go to the big box Seafood chain and order the seafood dip. They are alwasy so small and expensive. I will be making a big bath of the real soon. Thanks!
lyuba says
I really hope this one will be worth it and I hope you will like it!!
Thank you, Amy!