Avocado and Crab Crostini

Appetizers, recipes, Sandwiches, Seafood, Snacks

posted on September 18, 2014 by Bianca Garcia

Do you ever get fixated on a specific kind of food?

Maybe your friend brought a crab dip to your dinner party and you can’t stop thinking about it, or maybe you write the words “avocado toast” on a previous blog post and you want to make it right this minute. I made these little Avocado and Crab Crostini to combine my two latest fixations, to get crab and avocado out of my head and into my belly.

It turned out way more delicious that I imagined!

It’s also wonderful that it’s a cinch to put together.

All I had to do was toast baguette slices (brush with olive oil, bake at 500 degrees F for five minutes, which is how I make bread for crostini and bruschetta), mash an avocado, and combine fresh crab meat with lemon juice and melted salted butter. A little seasoning, a sprinkle of parsley for garnish, assemble and devour.

Because there are so few ingredients involved, the key is to make sure you use the best ones available. I used premium hand-picked fresh crab meat from Whole Foods (you can usually find it in a chilled section near the smoked salmon), a ripe creamy avocado, and a premium butter. I received some samples of President butter in the mail – it’s the #1-selling imported butter from France (where people consume more butter than anywhere else in the world) so I knew it would add another layer of luxuriousness to this recipe.

Another thing to note is that it would be wise to keep tasting and adjusting your seasonings. The butter I used was already gloriously salted, so when I was making the crab mixture, I didn’t need to add more salt. (Warning: mixing melted butter into fresh crab meat will make you want to keep eating it, but remember that you are just tasting and you need to save some for the actual recipe.) For the mashed avocado, I seasoned it completely with salt, pepper, and a shake of hot red pepper flakes. Some people don’t like spice at all, so you can omit the red pepper flakes. Or if you want another level of hot, maybe add a dash of Tabasco. I know Tabasco goes perfectly with crab, too.

I really liked how the fresh lemon juice brightened up the crab mixture, and the French butter added such a salty, creamy, almost nutty flavor. I piled on the crab very generously, and smeared a thick layer of mashed avocado, too, so each little toast is loaded with goodies.

These would be the most delicious appetizers or finger food at a party. It’s easy to tweak the flavor – maybe rub fresh garlic on the crostini to make this more savory, or garnish with chopped chives or tarragon. You can also heat up the crab meat and serve this warm, or to make things even more indulgent, maybe broil the crostini with a layer of melted cheese on top.

I prefer this simple version. Golden crostini rounds, creamy mashed avocado, and buttery lemony crab meat. I’ll totally get if you become fixated on this, too! (By you I mean me.)

Yield: about 10 crostini

Avocado and Crab Crostini

Ingredients

1/2 baguette (or 1 mini baguette)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 avocado
1 cup fresh crab meat
1/4 cup butter, melted
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of red chili pepper flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Brush olive oil on both sides of the bread pieces, then toast for 5 minutes.
Mash the avocado and season with salt, pepper, and chili pepper flakes.
Combine crab meat, melted butter, and lemon juice. Season to taste.
Top baguette slices with mashed avocado and crab mixture. Garnish with freshly grated pepper and parsley.