Camp Crab and Artichoke Dip
Hot spinach, artichoke, and crab dip rebuilt out of pouches and powder, stirred in one pot at camp.
- calories
- 330
- weight
- 3.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 94
- protein
- 16 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 15 min
- water
- 120 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Snack
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Canned crab meat | 6 oz | claw meat, drained; a foil pouch weighs less than a can |
|---|---|---|
| Canned artichoke hearts | two 14 oz cans | drained hard and chopped small |
| Freeze-dried spinach | 1 cup | or 1/2 cup dried spinach flakes |
| Powdered whole milk | 1/3 cup | |
| Grated parmesan | 3/4 cup | the shelf-stable canister kind, not fresh |
| Cream cheese powder | 1/3 cup | sold for cheesecake mixes and dry ranch |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | stands in for the mayonnaise |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Old Bay seasoning | 1 tsp | |
| Cayenne | 1/4 tsp | |
| Black pepper and salt | to taste |
Method
- Drain the artichokes and press them against the pot lid to get the packing liquid out. Chop them small and set aside.
- Bring 120 ml of water to a boil, then pull the pot off the flame.
- Stir in the freeze-dried spinach and let it sit two minutes until it softens. Pour off any water that stays loose.
- Add the milk powder, cream cheese powder, parmesan, oil, and all the seasoning. Stir into a thick paste over the lowest flame the stove will hold.
- Fold in the artichokes and crab. Heat another three or four minutes, stirring, until it steams through.
- Eat straight from the pot with crackers or tortilla chips.
The original is a casserole dish full of cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream, which is three refrigerated things too many. Powdered milk plus cream cheese powder plus olive oil rebuilds the same body without a cooler, and grated parmesan from a canister sits on a shelf for months. The result is thinner than a baked dip but holds a cracker fine.
Draining matters more than anything else here. Artichokes carry a lot of brine and freeze-dried spinach will drink whatever water you give it, so keep the water low and add more only if the pot goes stiff. Low heat throughout: the cheese and milk powder will catch and scorch on a hot aluminum bottom faster than you expect.
Packing
Combine the milk powder, cream cheese powder, parmesan, garlic powder, Old Bay, and cayenne in one bag at home. Cans and oil ride separately. Decant the oil into a small dropper bottle.
Variations
- Swap the crab for a pouch of tuna or leave it out and the dip still works.
- A packet of instant potato flakes tightens it up if the artichokes came out wetter than expected.
- Over a campfire, set the pot on a grate at the edge of the coals rather than over flame, or the cheese scorches.
https://www.pinchmeimeating.com/baked-spinach-artichoke-and-crab-dip