Crab Filled Cheese Puffs
My dad Randy Hutchins was a commercial fisherman in Alaska for many years. His friend Betty would make these delicious crab-filled puffs for the fisherman in exchange for free King crab. I was lucky enough to get a handwritten recipe from her. What a delicious treat!
Servings: 28 appetizers
Ingredients
CHEESE PUFFS:
- 1 1/4 c. water
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 c. butter
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- 4 lg. eggs
- 1 c. shredded Swiss cheese
CRAB FILLING:
- 1 c. cooked crab meat preferably King crab or Dungeness
- 1/3 c. finely diced celery
- 1/3 c. finely diced onion
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. mustard
- 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/3 c. mayonnaise
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- CHEESE PUFFS: In a large pot, bring water, salt and butter to a boil; add flour, stirring quickly with a heavy wooden spoon to form a ball. Take off the heat and add eggs one at a time, beating each one separately by hand. Stir in Swiss cheese, beat by hand until combined.
- Drop cheese puff mixture by the teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool 2-3 minutes. Using a serrated knife, gently slice each puff in half, leaving a hinge, being careful not to cut all the way through.
- CRAB FILLING: In a large bowl, gently stir crab filling ingredients together until combined. Fill each cheese puff with crab filling. Serve hot or cold.
- To serve hot: Heat in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes to melt the cheese. Makes 28-30 appetizers