Warm Piquillo and Crab Dip

• Recipe by Jose Garces

Chef Way For this classic tapa, Jose Garces stuffs his delicious crab salad into individual piquillo peppers and roasts them until hot.
Easy Way Instead of laboriously stuffing piquillo peppers, spread the crab mixture in a baking dish, top it with slices of the peppers, then cook until warm and melty.

More Fast Hors d’Oeuvres

Ingredients

1. 1 pound lump crab, picked over
2. 1/4 cup mayonnaise
3. 1/4 cup crème fraîche
4. 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
5. 2 tablespoons snipped chives
6. 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
7. 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
8. 1/4 pound Manchego cheese, shredded (1 cup)
9. One 9-ounce jar piquillo peppers, drained and cut into strips

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler. In a bowl, combine the crab, mayonnaise, crème fraîche, parsley, chives, mustard, lemon juice and 3/4 cup of the Manchego. Spread in an 8-by-11-inch baking dish. Top with the piquillos and sprinkle with the remaining Manchego. Broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the dip is heated through. Serve hot.

Serve With

Crusty bread or crostini.