Today’s crab appetizer recipe is the perfect snack/appetizer to take to a party. They can be whipped up in less than 10 minutes, they taste great, and they are fun to eat!

Key ingredients for these fun little crab appetizers.

Cream cheese, imitation crab meat, jalapeño, and Western salad dressing are the main ingredients piled into these fun little phyllo shells. I promise you (and those you cook them for) are going to gobble these things right up!

A little bit about the ingredients…

Imitation crab meat

Imitation crab meat can be found in the seafood section. We used “Louis Kemp Crab Delights.” Our package looked like this:

When I was a kid, my mom used to buy this imitation crab meat, and we would eat it as a snack. We would just dip the crab chunks in Western salad dressing, like you would dip chips into salsa. Two ingredients. That’s it. And I loved it, so the inspiration for this recipe comes from my dear mother. Thanks, Mom!!

Western salad dressing.

The dressing my mom always used was Western salad dressing. It’s similar to French salad dressing…sweet with a little tang. In this recipe, I used the light version.

Mini Phyllo Shells.

Mini phyllo shells can be found in the frozen section in most grocery stores. They are light, crispy layers of Phyllo dough that are in the shape of cute little cups, and they are pre-baked, making them super easy to use and fun to cook with and to eat! I love these.

Other recipes I have used phyllo shells for are Phyllo Cheeseburger Cups and Chicken Chili Phyllo Poppers. (YUM!!)

Makes 12 crab appetizers.

This recipe makes 12 Crab Delight Bites. For the purposes of WW points and nutrition facts, I am assuming you will be eating 3, since that is how many each of us ate in the Hughes house. If you eat three of these, it will be 5 WW FreeStyle Smart Points…or you can count one as 2 WW SP.

Something to hold you over until dinner?

I feel like these crab appetizers would be great for a party, but that is not how we used them in our house.

Our schedules have been all over the place now that summer is here. The whole three-meals-a-day thing has become less and less rigid, and our meal times are inconsistent. There was a day a couple of weeks ago when we still had not eaten lunch, and it was 3 p.m. I knew everyone was hungry (they told me so), and I decided to make these as a snack for the family to hold them over until dinner. It was perfect!

In fact, my 13-year-old son always acts like he doesn’t like ANY seafood, but he really enjoyed these…and then I told him it was imitation crab meat. He decided now that he does like SOME seafood SOMETIMES, so we are getting somewhere! (He has given me permission to share this with you. Love you, Preston!)

Dinner came later…Steak with Red Wine Sauce…(also a big hit!)…but that is a recipe for another day. (Stay tuned!)

More great WW Friendly snack and appetizer recipes.

One of the most popular blog posts on Meal Planning Mommies right now is the list of over 60 Healthy WW Friendly Snack Recipes. In the list, I share links to recipes that can be used as appetizers, snacks, and side dishes!

Some of the recipes included in the list are the “Twirly Italian Sub Breadsticks,” the “Southwest Steak Egg Rolls,” the “BLT Wraps,” and the “Rainbow Bean & Rice Salad” (pictured below).

The list is full of light and healthy snacks and appetizers, perfect for the summertime! You can get to the complete list here.

So, the question is, “How and when will you use these fun little crab appetizers?”

Here is what you need:

1 teaspoon light butter
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
5 ounces imitation crab meat
2 ounces (approximately 1/4 cup) Neufchâtel cream cheese
2 tablespoons light Western salad dressing, divided
1 green onion, sliced
12 mini phyllo shells

Here is what you do:

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Melt the butter in a small skillet set over medium-low heat. Cook jalapeño and garlic in the melted butter for two minutes, or until the jalapeño is tender, mixing as it cooks.

Either with a food processor or a knife, chop the imitation crab meat into very small pieces.

In a medium bowl, combine the imitation crab meat, cream cheese, 1 tablespoon Western salad dressing, green onion, and the jalalpeño/garlic mixture. (Okay, so I know that this next picture is not the prettiest thing you have ever seen, but I promise it tastes great…so just keep going…)

Scoop 1 tablespoon of the crab mixture into each phyllo shell. Bake 5-7 minutes.

Drizzle remaining salad dressing over the top of the Crab Delight Bites.

Makes 12 Crab Delight Bites.
One serving is 3 bites.
One serving is 5 WW FreeStyle Smart Points.

Print Recipe

3.30 from 10 votes

Crab Delight Bites

One serving is 5 WW FreeStyle SP.

Makes: 4 servings

Calories: 134

Author: Alisha Hughes

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon light butter
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 5 ounces imitation crab meat
• 2 ounces (approximately 1/4 cup) Neufchâtel cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons light Western salad dressing, divided
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 12 mini phyllo shells

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Melt the butter in a small skillet set over medium-low heat. Cook jalapeño and garlic in the melted butter for two minutes, or until the jalapeño is tender, mixing as it cooks.
• Either with a food processor or a knife, chop the imitation crab meat into very small pieces.
• In a medium bowl, combine the imitation crab meat, cream cheese, 1 tablespoon Western salad dressing, green onion, and the jalalpeño/garlic mixture.
• Scoop 1 tablespoon of the crab mixture into each phyllo shell. Bake 5-7 minutes.
• Drizzle remaining salad dressing over the top of the Crab Delight Bites.