Spicy Crab Dip — What Savannah Puts on the Table When Company Comes Through

The frost-kissed collards are in. Denise and I picked them Saturday morning — me holding the bowl, her doing the bending, because my knees have made it clear they are retired even if the rest of me is not. They were beautiful. Dark as church shoes, thick-veined, beaded with cold water that ran down our wrists. I held a leaf up to the light and it glowed green the way stained glass glows, and I thought about Hattie Pearl's garden on the east side, how she'd send me out in November with a paper sack and say, "Get the ones the frost bit. Those are the sweet ones." She was talking about collards. She was also talking about people, I think, though I didn't know that at ten.

We cooked a mess of them Sunday. Low and slow, the way God intended, with a smoked ham hock and a splash of vinegar and enough time for the house to fill with that smell — that deep, green, peppery smell that is the smell of every kitchen I have ever loved. Denise wanted to cook them for two hours. I said three. She said the internet says two. I said, "The internet does not know my greens." Three hours. They came out silky and dark and the pot liquor was so good I drank a cup of it straight, which my doctor would not approve of and which I do not intend to tell him about.

Monique's trick-or-treating parade went well on Friday. Twenty-three children in costumes, half of them superheroes I don't recognize because superheroes have gotten complicated since my day. A little boy dressed as a hot dog stopped at the porch and said, "Are those homemade?" about the caramel popcorn, and when I said yes he took three bags and bowed. I said, "That child has manners and taste. He will go far." Denise said I cannot adopt every child who compliments my cooking. I said I can try.

Kayla's morning call: Michael has learned to say "more," which he uses for everything — more food, more outside, more the cat, more whatever he is pointing at that no one can identify. He says it with Earl's stubbornness. That one syllable sounds like a demand from a man who has been running things for forty years. He is nineteen months old and he is already in charge. I told Kayla, "That's a Henderson." She said, "That's a problem." Same thing, baby. Same thing.

Now go on and feed somebody.

The small thirty-five years at the small Hodge Elementary School cafeteria are the small career-spine of Dorothy’s life. The small lunch-lady role had been the small everyday-presence for the small generation of Savannah kids. The small retirement in 2020 had been the small adjustment-period after the small thirty-five-year-tenure. The small Sunday-spread-at-the-Thunderbolt-house for the small grandkids is the small post-retirement-rhythm.

The small First African Baptist Church congregation continues to be the small social-and-spiritual home. The small Wednesday-night-prayer-meeting. The small Sunday-morning-service. The small choir Dorothy has sung in for thirty-two years. The small church-cookouts where Dorothy’s small contributions are the small expected-presence.

Earl passed in 2019 on Valentine’s Day. The small widow-life is in its small seventh year now. The small house in the small Thunderbolt-neighborhood of Savannah near the marsh continues to be the small Dorothy-residence. The small house is the small place Earl maintained and where Earl built the small raised-bed-garden. The small kitchen is the small heart of the small house.

After a Sunday spent with my hands in collard greens and pot liquor on the stove, I was in the mood to keep feeding people — because that’s what Sundays are for around here. Down in Savannah, the water is never far, and neither is the crab, and this spicy crab dip is the thing I pull out when I need something on the table fast that still says I meant it. Hattie Pearl believed the best cooking came from what was close to home; crab is as close to home as you can get when you live near the marsh. Make it warm, make it a little bold, and put out plenty of crackers — somebody is going to want seconds before you even sit down.

Spicy Crab Dip

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 lb lump crab meat, drained and carefully picked for shells
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce (such as Crystal or Tabasco)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup diced pickled jalapeños, drained
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Crackers, sliced baguette, or toasted bread rounds for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 1-quart baking dish or a 9-inch cast iron skillet and set it aside.
2. Mix the base. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise together until smooth and no lumps remain. A hand mixer works well here, but a sturdy spoon and some patience will do the same job.
3. Season the mixture. Stir in the hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, garlic powder, and cayenne. Taste it — it should have some heat and depth before the crab ever goes in.
4. Fold in the crab and remaining mix-ins. Gently fold in the lump crab meat, jalapeños, green onions, and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar. Try to keep the crab pieces as whole as possible. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
5. Transfer and top. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Scatter the remaining 1/4 cup of cheddar over the top.
6. Bake. Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, until the dip is bubbling at the edges and the top is lightly golden. If you want more color on top, run it under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes at the end — watch it closely.
7. Garnish and serve. Scatter a few fresh green onion slices over the top and bring it straight to the table while it’s hot. Serve with crackers, sliced baguette, or toasted bread rounds. Don’t be surprised when people come back for more.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 275 | Protein: 17g | Fat: 21g | Carbs: 4g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 540mg