This gorgeous yet easy to make dish of crab-stuffed portobello mushrooms is perfect as an appetizer or even as a tasty main course.
Isn’t this dish just gorgeous? I love serving it to my family, but it’s also very appropriate to serve when you have company over. It’s nutritious, festive, and very tasty.
When I serve it to my family, I usually serve it as our main course, so I serve two mushrooms per person. When hosting, I serve it as an appetizer, and then one mushroom per person is perfect.
The ingredients you’ll need
Here’s an overview of what you’ll need to make crab-stuffed portobello mushrooms (the exact measurements are included in the recipe card below):
Portobello mushroom caps: Try to find ones that are about the same size.
Olive oil cooking spray: I love cooking with this delicious oil. But if you’d rather use an oil with a higher smoke point, you can use avocado oil instead.
Fresh lump crab meat: The fresher the better, or the dish could taste fishy.
Chopped scallions: I use the green parts only.
Sour cream: I tried using Greek yogurt and thought that it was a bit too tangy.
Grated Parmesan: It’s best to use finely grated cheese and not coarsely shredded.
Spices: Dried oregano, dried thyme, black pepper, and paprika.
How to make crab-stuffed portobello mushrooms
It’s surprisingly easy, considering it’s such an elegant dish. The detailed instructions are included in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:
1. Start by spraying the mushrooms with olive oil and broiling them.
2. Mix the remaining ingredients except for the paprika.
3. Stuff the mushrooms with the mixture. Sprinkle with the paprika.
4. Broil the mushrooms until the dish is heated through.
Make sure the crab meat is fresh
Needless to say, the fresher the crab meat you use, the better these crab-stuffed portobello mushrooms will taste. I find that the supermarket lump crabmeat that comes in small plastic containers tends to be quite fishy, so I don’t like to use it in this recipe.
If you have Whole Foods Market in your area, I suggest you try the crab meat sold at their seafood counter. It’s the freshest I have been able to find.
How to prevent soggy mushrooms
Another challenge when making this recipe is that baked portobello mushrooms can become soggy. To avoid sogginess:
1. Wipe clean, don’t wash the mushrooms. They can absorb water if you wash them.
2. Pre-broil the mushrooms to release some of the liquids.
3. In the final stage of broiling, broil briefly, just until the topping is browned. Overcooked mushrooms become mushy.
Broil them in the middle of the oven
When making this recipe, I like to set the oven rack in the middle of the oven. It’s been my experience that the mushrooms tend to burn easily when placed directly under the heating element.
Middle-of-the-oven broiling takes longer, but it allows for gentler cooking and it also reduces the risk of burning your food.
There’s no need to add salt
Crabmeat is very salty, so I find that there’s no need to add salt to the mixture. You can, of course, taste and decide for yourself.
How to serve crab-stuffed portobello mushrooms?
They make a great appetizer! You can also serve two per person as the main dish.
When I serve them as the main dish, I usually add a simple side that I can make ahead of time, such as this tasty tomato salad.
More tasty portobello recipes
If you love portobello mushrooms, may I suggest a couple more wonderful recipes that my family loves:
Portobello baked eggs, which are perfect for brunch, and tasty portobello pizza that the kids adore, and is so much better for them than a real pizza.
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Crab-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
INGREDIENTS
- 2 portobello mushroom caps, wiped clean, stem removed
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 8 oz fresh lump crabmeat
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions
- 6 tablespoons sour cream
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the broiler, setting the temperature on high. Set an oven rack in the middle of the oven (this will prevent the mushrooms from scorching under the broiler). Line a broiler-safe rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- Spray the mushroom caps with olive oil cooking spray on both sides. Broil in the middle of the oven until just tender, about 5 minutes on each side.
- Meanwhile, transfer the crab meat to a medium bowl, feeling through the meat to make sure no shell pieces remain.
- Add the remaining ingredients except for the paprika and mix well, with a fork or a spatula, to combine.
- If the broiled mushrooms have released water, drain them on paper towels, then stuff them with the crab mixture. Sprinkle with the paprika.
- Broil 2-3 minutes, just until the filling is warm and golden. Serve immediately.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, Reader's Digest, and Better Homes and Gardens.