Crab Stuffed Jalapeño Poppers

I use to work near a restaurant that sold  jalapeño poppers stuffed with crab and was served with salsa and ranch dressing. I absolutely loved them! That was the only thing I would order when I went there until they stopped making them. So I had no choice but to make them myself! I made half coated in cornmeal and the other half dipped in beer batter just to do a little taste test. I love poppers in general so both were really tasty to me. I did however, like the beer battered ones a little better.

Crab Stuffed Jalapeño Poppers 

Crab Filling

• 8oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 6oz lump crab meat
• 1 tsp salt

• ½ cup cornmeal
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp dried oregano
•  ½ cup flour
• 2 eggs beaten

Beer Batter

• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup beer
• 1 tsp corm starch
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp dried oregano

* About 12 Jalapeños

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut a slit lengthwise in each pepper down 1 side to create a pocket.  Leave the stems on and scrape out the insides carefully. Place peppers on a sheet pan and bake for about 10 minutes until tender. While peppers are baking make filling. Add all filling ingredients to a bowl and combine. You don’t have to spend a lot for crab on this dish. I ended up using a can of lump crab meat from Whole Foods that was only about $6.00. Once your peppers are done, let them cool slightly. Carefully add filling to peppers. If you want you can place filling in a pipping bag to make it easier.

Cornmeal Coated Peppers

Place cornmeal in a shallow dish and add paprika, salt, and oregano. Add flour to a separate dish. Next, add eggs to a third dish and whisk together. Coat pepper in plain flour then, dip in egg, then dredge in cornmeal. After peppers are finished, place in the refrigerated for about a half hour so they can set. To cook peppers, add the a deep fryer with oil heated to 350 degrees. You can also cook peppers in a pot, just make sure oil will cover at least half of the pepper. Cook for about 3-5 minutes or until coating is golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

Beer Battered Peppers

Whisk together flour, cornstarch, paprika, salt, and oregano. Slowly add beer and whisk until combined. Dredge peppers in a little flour and dip in batter. Add peppers to deep fryer with oil heated to 350 degrees. Cook about 3-5 minutes until batter is golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

Serve poppers with ranch dressing and fresh salsa.

Stay tuned for Jalapeño Popper Dip!