Crab stuffed mushrooms with cloud 9 tomatoes
This month I teamed up with Pure Flavor to bring you a new spin on one of my classic recipes, crab stuffed mushrooms. But first, let me tell you about the product they sent me, Pure Flavor® Cloud 9® Bite-Sized Fruity Tomatoes.
Y’all, these Cloud 9 tomatoes are THE sweetest, fruitiest tomatoes I’ve ever eaten! Pure Flavor grows them sustainably, using less water and less waste. They are closely monitored in their greenhouse and picked at just the right ripeness to ensure the best bite makes it to your dinner table. They are juicy and bursting with flavor, especially when baked as they are in today’s recipe.
Check out more from Pure Flavor.
It may sound like a tomato doesn’t belong on top, but trust me this makes for one heavenly bite! Crab meat is naturally sweet. I blend it with spices, to give it a little kick and some flavor that you will find in many Cajun recipes. Once you cook the mushroom, it softens up and becomes juicy while absorbing the flavors. Now, by cooking the mushroom it will also crisp up the crab meat that is on top of the mushroom, adding a little texture so your entire bite isn’t just mush. The tomato is the crown jewel on top. When you bake it, it softens up and becomes even sweeter. The skin is soft as well, so when you bite into the mushroom it just releases its juices.
Will you eat this for dinner or make it as an appetizer?
My favorite way to serve these are as appetizers. I serve stuffed mushrooms at almost any party I throw and they are always a hit. People love the option of small bite foods. But, lets make it healthy! Do you ever go to parties and it’s just a bunch of dips? And most of the time, you eat chips with that dip. This is a way to mix it up to keep it fresh and healthy! Don’t be afraid to serve these to kids as well. You may think they won’t eat foods like this, but they will surprise you if you give them a chance.
However, if you are having a small gathering, you could totally make this a meal! These are really rich and FULL of crab (do not skimp!) It is why I use jumbo lump. It is very filling, all you need to do is include sides. Make it healthy by adding a full salad (throw in some citrus, which also goes great with crab!) and add a hearty side of asparagus. Make sure to add plenty of Cloud 9 tomatoes on your salad!
You have a healthy and beautiful meal.
Ingredients:
15 Pure Flavor® Cloud 9® Bite-Sized Fruity Tomatoes
15 large button mushrooms (Stem removed)
1 tbsp butter
2.5 cups jumbo lump crab
1/2 cup cut green onions
1/4 cup diced white onion
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 tbsp creole mustard
2 tsp Slap Ya Mama original seasoning (or cajun seasoning of your choice)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp plain breadcrumbs (more if needed)
Directions:
Heat oven to 350F
In a medium skillet, add butter on medium high heat
Add onions, celery, red bell pepper and sauté until soft
Add green onions
Add crab meat and mix well
Add slap ya mama, creole mustard and lemon juice
Taste and adjust any seasonings to your liking
Add breadcrumbs
Mix well
Wash the mushrooms and remove stem
Fill each mushroom with a generous amount of mixture to fill the cap and press down to form a “top”
Bake for 25 minutes (tops will be slightly golden)
Place a cloud tomato on a toothpick
Place the tomato down into the mushroom until it hits the top of the crab mixture (You do not need to bury it into the tomato, you want it to sit on top)
Bake for another 5-8 minutes (You do not add this at the beginning because it will turn to complete mush)
When you take the mushrooms out, you will remove the toothpick before serving (This isn’t as hard as it may seem. When the tomatoes bake down, the toothpick will almost poke through. Just slightly push down on the tomato and the toothpick will poke out. Then, lightly press down the tomato and pull out the toothpick.
The toothpick should be right outside of the tomato now, carefully remove them and discard
Serve!
