It’s Super Bowl weekend and time to pull out all stops for game day food. There are so many great foods to prepare. In past years I’ve prepared chili, Buffalo wings, spinach and artichoke dip, cake, pigs in a blanket, salsa and cheese straws to name a few. This year, though, it’s a bit cool out…the sky has been overcast…we’ve had umpteen rain storms so it’s also damp and somewhat unpleasant. In my kingdom that calls for pulling out all stops and going for a luxurious, diet blasting treat. It’s only once a year I do this so what’s the big deal? These seafood nachos are just the ticket for fabulous football food. Creamy, salty, crunchy and spicy hot, this dish is a favorite. It’s not inexpensive…crab never is, but well worth every cent spent. I find all ready cooked shrimp are the best to use so there’s no work there. I’m fine with easy-peel shrimp since I don’t have to mess up an additional pan or wash it. Easy to prepare, seafood nachos can be assembled in a flash, baked off and served. In the event children will be enjoying them, the jalapenos can be left off and the pepper-jack cheese can be swapped out for Monterey Jack. And the nachos will STILL be killer good. They’re gorgeous, totally addicting and pair up well with beer, wine and most cocktails. Enjoy the game, y’all, and may the best team win. Go Pats!
The smaller the shrimp the better. As I mentioned, all ready cooked, easy-peel are the way go since the dirt line has been taken out. The only thing left for you to do is zip off the shells. By the way, if you have room in your freezer, save the shrimp shells and use them the next time you need seafood broth. If the shrimp you buy are medium in size or larger give them a rough chop before mixing them with the sour cream and mayonnaise. I don’t buy lump crab as it’s too pricey. I lean towards backfin because it has pieces of lump meat and white meat in it whereas claw meat isn’t sweet at all. It’s just the cheapest. I shred all the cheese on a box grater rather than use bagged, shredded cheese. Bagged cheese contains stabilizers that keep it from melting well and you want perfect, gooey nachos for your peeps. Once you put them in the oven keep a close eye on them. They bake quickly, in only a few minutes, and you don’t want them to burn.
Crab & Shrimp Nachos
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped, whites and green tops separated
- 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning (Tony Chachere’s is what I use)
- 1 pound cooked small shrimp, shelled and roughly chopped
- 1/2 pound backfin crab meat, drained of any juices
- 7 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded
- 1 9-ounce bag thin and crispy tortilla chips
- jarred pickled jalapeno slices to taste, optional
- In a medium bowl mix cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise until smooth.
- Add white part of onions, Creole seasoning and shrimp and mix until thoroughly combined. Add crab meat and gently stir through taking care not to break up the larger pieces of crab.
- Spread tortilla chips evenly over a large baking sheet with sides. It’s fine if they overlap. The chips on the bottom keep the ones on top from getting soggy.
- Drop teaspoon size dollops of the crabmeat mixture over the chips.
- Scatter both cheeses evenly over the chips.
- Top with jalapeno slices if using.
- Broil for 2-3 minutes until cheese is bubbly and some of the chip edges turn golden brown.
- Scatter green onions over tray and serve immediately.
The Irreverent Kitchen 
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