Crab Stuffed Chile Rellenos

The other day I was digging through my recipe inspiration folder, the place I keep pages upon pages of notes, printed recipes, magazine pages and the like.  What I found was a scrap piece of paper with these handwritten words Crab Stuffed Chile Rellenos.  That night I made this fabulous dish.

This dish came together in my mind as I entered the grocery store.  Crabmeat.  I wonder what choices will be available today.  I stepped up to the seafood counter where they were offering samples of their Cajun Crab Krab Dip.  Hmm.  I’m not ashamed to admit that I love this dip.  It might just be the perfect flavor pairing with our chile rellenos.  All I’d have to do is doctor it up with roasted corn, onion, and some shredded cheese.

Which is precisely what I did.

If your market doesn’t sell a premade dip or you prefer to start from scratch, I’ve listed my modified version of this dip in the recipe below.

First things first.  To remove the tough skin from the poblano peppers, simply char them, then let them steam in a covered bowl for a few minutes.  I use my gas stove and lay the peppers across the burners, turning them with metal tongs.  You can also use your gas grill or put them under the broiler.  The key is to get them nice and black as shown in the picture above.  Then put them in a bowl covered with plastic wrap until they are cool enough to handle.  Run them under water and gently loosen the blackened skin.  Most of it will just wash away.  Cut a slit the length of the peppers to remove the seeds.

Generously fill each pepper with the crab mixture.  Traditionally Chile Rellenos are battered and deep fried.  But my egg wash and cornmeal coating is also an accepted method.  I pan browned them before topping them with cheese to finish in the oven.

The only problem with this recipe is that I only made three Crab Stuffed Chile Rellenos.  Since they reheat nicely they would be great leftover for lunch the next day.  Definitely adding this recipe to our weeknight dinner rotation.

Crab Stuffed Chile Rellenos

Libby with Lemony Thyme

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

• Either purchase a tub about 12 ounces of Cajun Krab Dip or make from scratch which will yield more than needed for this recipe.

For the Cajun crab dip…

• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• 4 ounces sour cream
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 ounces crab meat
• 1 Tbl. Frank’s hot sauce
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp. or more to taste Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

For the chile rellenos…

• 3-4 Poblano peppers
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 cup diced onion
• 4 ounces Monterey Jack or Pepperjack Cheese
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• oil for pan frying

Instructions

 

For the Cajun crab dip…

• Combine all ingredients and reserve.

For the chile rellenos…

• Char poblano peppers over open flame or under broiler until blackened on all sides. Place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to steam for about 10 minutes. Run peppers under cool water rinsing away blackened skin.
• Meanwhile, sauté onion in olive oil until tender. Add in corn and cook for another minute. Combine onion/corn mixture to 1 1/2 cups Cajun crab dip, along with 1/2 cup shredded cheese.
• Slice pepper lengthwise and remove seeds. Generously fill each pepper with crab/corn mixture. Dip in beaten egg, then roll in cornmeal.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Gently pan brown stuffed chiles then transfer to a baking dish. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Bake for 25 minutes, allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Other recipes you might enjoy:

Antipasto Squares {Winning} Chicken Satay Meatballs {with Peanut Dipping Sauce} Loaded Easy Chicken Enchiladas Casserole