Crab Stuffed Mushrooms with Horseradish dipping sauce

From time to time I take it upon myself to make ME foods. As I mentioned in my au poivre post, theres times I go to the grocery mart that I feel like the world is just dissolving around me, however sometimes theres something extra special in the cart just for me. For this momma treat I made crab stuffed mushrooms. Stephen does not eat crab (or most shellfish in general) so its another one of those "are you crazy!!!???"  moments for me, however I'm not going to argue with it because if he were to realize how delicious it was he'd want these for sure! 

On this afternoon instead of making a classic crab cake I got to thinking about these stuffed mushrooms we used to get at Houlihan's. I loveeeeeeee stuffed mushrooms, or mushrooms of any sort really, however the Houlihan's stuffed mushrooms are probably the most delicious ever. Its been years since I've had them however I still remember them fondly. I don't exactly remember the details besides they're fried, golden and delicious with an amazing creamy horseradish dipping sauce. (I tried bringing up their menu but their site crashed my computer... Thank you flashy website) So I decided to take that concept and lighten it up a bit, plus I used crab! Crabs really a light and wonderful ingredient, if you don't douse it in mayo or butter its really pretty healthy its a great lean protein. So I made a lighter crab cake like filling and stuffed these mushrooms, popped them in the oven and voila! The most delicious lunch ever. For a dipping sauce I used greek yogurt, a smidge of mayo and lots of horseradish! Although its a lighter variation of the standard fried stuffed mushroom they were so delicious, perfectly salty, slightly sweet and the mushrooms were perfectly moist. I really wish I had some right now.

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

6 medium sized portobello mushrooms about 2" in diameter
4-6 button mushrooms
extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper

8 ounces crab meat (I used claw)
2-3 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
2-3 tablespoons chopped chives
1 egg
1 teaspoon mustard
2-3 tablespoons mayo
1 1/2- 2 teaspoons old bay seasoning
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
*fresh cracked black pepper, hot sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl combine crab meat, pepper, chives, egg, mustard, mayo, old bay (I use a good deal of old bay). Stir to mix and add panko, do not add too much you just want enough for the mixture to bind together. 

remove stems from the mushrooms, using a spoon hollow out the centers and then toss mushrooms with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Using about 1-2 tablespoons of filling stuff crab filling into the mushrooms. Place on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the filling is golden. You don't want to over cook the mushrooms or they will be too moist and the filling will become soggy.

Horseradish Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream

2-3 tablespoons mayo

1 tablespoon horseradish (or to taste, but I use A LOT)

1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2-1 teaspoon hot sauce 

Stir to combine. For a fuller fat version you can use more mayo or substitute the mayo in this recipe for horseradish cream.