Crabby Snacks - Crunchy crostini topped with cold crab salad and creamy avocado. Inspired by "Silver Linings Playbook." | foxeslovelemons.com

Silver Linings Playbook was not my favorite Oscar Best Picture contender this year. However, I did laugh every time the mother character announced that she was going to make “crabby snacks and home-mades” for the Jets game.

Which seemed to happen constantly.

Through some research, I’ve learned that home-mades are basically lumps of fresh egg pasta. I don’t really feel like going to the trouble of making fresh pasta this week.

So, home-mades won’t be happening in my household this time around, but hey – I’m not married to Robert DeNiro either. I wish.

Well, if I also had a time machine, so I could go back and be married to 30-year-old DeNiro. Not current DeNiro. Anyway….

Crabby Snacks, on the other hand – those I can do. The “crabby snacks” mentioned in the book version of Silver Linings Playbook are “buttered crabmeat and orange cheese on English muffins.”

To be honest, that sounds….kind of gross. But, I know a thing or two about whipping up appetizers on the fly, so I gave it my best shot with this recipe.

Crabby Snacks - Crunchy crostini topped with cold crab salad and creamy avocado. Inspired by "Silver Linings Playbook." | foxeslovelemons.com

The assembly on these is simple – you can put them together 30 minutes before the red carpet coverage starts. First, just slice a chunk of baguette into 1/4-inch slices, then throw them in the oven and try to toast them but not burn them.

That’s the hardest part of this whole recipe – not burning the baguette!

While the bread is toasting, toss the crab meat with crispy bacon (you can cook this on the stove or use my method for cooking bacon in the oven), scallions, tangy lemon juice & zest, salty Worcestershire sauce, and just a small bit of mayonnaise.

Only enough to bind the mixture. If you’re not a mayo fan, you can substitute an equal amount of cream cheese for mayo.

Dollop the crab mixture onto the toasted baguette, then top it with some avocado slices. Sprinkle with some red pepper flakes, and you’re done. Grab a rosemary gin cocktail and go watch the red carpet.

Psst – if you bought a big can of crab and you have some left over, be sure to give my salmon stuffed with crab or seafood pasta salad a try!

Crabby Snacks - Crunchy crostini topped with cold crab salad and creamy avocado. Inspired by "Silver Linings Playbook." | foxeslovelemons.com

Crabby Snacks

Yield: About 30 pieces

Ingredients

  • 1 baguette, cut into 1/4-inch slices (need about 30 slices)
  • Nonstick cooking spray or olive oil
  • 3 slices smoked bacon (about 1/4 pound), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pices
  • 4 green onions, thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
  • 16 ounces canned crab meat, drained if necessary
  • 6 tablespoons mayonnaise or cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 avocado, pitted, peeled and thinly sliced
  • Red pepper flakes for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray baguette slices with cooking spray or brush with olive oil. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp, turning once. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, cook bacon over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes or until crisp; drain on paper towel.
  2. In a medium bowl, toss together crab, mayonnaise, parsley, lemon juice, Worcestershire, lemon zest, white pepper, salt and bacon. Makes about 2 cups crab mixture.
  3. Top each baguette slice with a heaping tablespoon of crab mixture. Top with avocado slice and sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

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