Appetizer recipe collection

Zesty black bean and olive dip layered over cream cheese with chopped hard-boiled eggs, lime juice, cumin, and crushed red pepper. A no-cook party appetizer that serves 12.

Crispy golden crab and avocado fritters with salsa and green onions, fried to a crunch outside while staying creamy inside. Makes 4 dozen party-ready bites you can prep ahead.

Creamy crab and clam dip with cream cheese and a kick of Tabasco, spread on melba rounds and warmed in the microwave. Ready in 10 minutes for easy party snacking.

Hot crab and cream cheese dip spiked with horseradish, baked under a blanket of slivered almonds until golden. A 20-minute appetizer that vanishes fast at any gathering.

Savory crab cheesecake on a buttery cracker crust with Old Bay seasoning, Tabasco, and lemon, topped with sour cream. A showstopping Maryland-style appetizer that serves 12.

In this recipe Quebec snow crab is combined with brocolli, oven-poached and served on a sauce, nouveau cuisine fashion.

Cheesy crab-topped English muffin bites with sharp Old English cheese and garlic. Make ahead, freeze, then broil straight from the freezer for instant hot appetizers.

Deep-fried jalapeno halves packed with seasoned crab meat, garlic, and cayenne, double-breaded in cracker meal for an extra-crunchy shell. Spicy, crispy, and wildly addictive.

Mini crab tarts in flaky pastry shells with Swiss cheese, cream cheese, nutmeg, and shredded carrots. Baked until set and golden for an elegant, bite-sized seafood treat.

Classic New Orleans crabmeat ravigote with lump crab, bell pepper, pimiento, scallions, and a bright lemon-cayenne kick. No cooking required. Ready in 20 minutes.

Five-ingredient cranberry orange crescents using store-bought crescent roll dough. Fresh cranberries and orange zest rolled into flaky, golden pastries in 30 minutes flat.

Cajun crawfish or shrimp cocktail sauce loaded with horseradish, chili sauce, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. A fiery, no-cook dipping sauce ready in 10 minutes flat.

Two-ingredient dip: equal parts cream cheese and Dijon mustard blended until smooth. Sharp, creamy, and ready in 5 minutes flat. Spread on crackers or dip with veggies.

Retro party dip blending cream cheese, deviled ham, dry red wine, and dill pickles with a mustard-Worcestershire kick. Ready in 20 minutes, serve as a dip or chilled spread.

Rich cream of crab soup with a full pound of crabmeat in a buttery roux-thickened milk base with celery salt. A Chesapeake Bay classic that's on the table in 30 minutes.

Tender flounder fillets baked in a sour cream and mushroom tarragon sauce, all made in the microwave in about 35 minutes. A quick, elegant weeknight fish dinner.