This crab avocado appetizer stack looks impressive and tastes great! Serve this New Orleans inspired dish for your next dinner party.

This dinner party appetizer combines crab meat and guacamole for a marriage of flavors that’s hard to beat.

Just when you think party season is over (aka, the holidays) you realize that the first few months of the year are full of reasons to host a gathering. It’s Awards party season, Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, Super Bowl, and Mardi Gras. That’s enough to keep you busy for 2-3 months!

This year I was inspired to create a Mardi Gras dinner party after visiting New Orleans last April. Our last night there, we had an amazing meal at Criollo, and ordered the shrimp, blue crab, avocado stack for an appetizer. It’s was one of the best things I’ve ever had!

I decided to re-create the dish as best I could, and made this crab avocado appetizer stack. The presentation itself is impressive, but the combination of seafood and guacamole is fantastic!

This elegant appetizer is perfect for special dinner parties or a New Orleans themed Mardi Gras menu.

This appetizer consists of three parts, or layers: crab layer, guacamole layer, and tomato coulis. You’ll need small 4 ounce ramekins to mold the stack, and saran wrap to make it easy to remove.

The crab layer is lightly seasoned with just enough mayonnaise to add moisture and a little creaminess.

While I can’t quite duplicate the chef quality of the restaurant’s stack, this one tastes delicious nonetheless. It’a a fabulous appetizer to serve for a sit-down dinner party, or even a small cocktail party for 6 to 8 guests.

Crab Avocado Appetizer Stack

Yield: 4-6 stacks

These crab and avocado appetizer stacks make an impressive presentation and taste amazing! Serve these for an elegant sit down dinner party any time or as part of a New Orleans style Mardi Gras party menu.

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Ingredients

• Fresh guacamole {your favorite recipe}, with chunks of avocado in it
• Good quality lump crab meat, tossed with a little fresh squeezed lemon juice, mayonnaise, and Creole Seasoning
• Cooked shrimp, chilled
• Tomato coulis {below}

Tomato Coulis ingredients

• 1/2 cup tomato puree {pulse medium spiced salsa in a blender until smooth}
• 2 Tablespoons dry white wine {Chardonnay}
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/8 teaspoon Creole Seasoning

Instructions

1. Line individual ramekins with saran wrap, and make sure it’s tucked in to tightly around the base.
2. Add a layer of guacamole and pack it down
3. Add a layer of crab mixture and press down to make sure everything is packed snug inside.
4. Cover the crab meat with the over hanging saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
5. When ready to serve, open saran wrap and pull it away from the top of the mold.
6. Place a serving plate on top of the ramekin and in one move, flip it over so the ramekin is upside down on the plate. Gently remove the ramekin, then peel saran wrap off of the crab stack.
7. Garnish with a large cocktail shrimp and the tomato coulis.

TO MAKE THE COULIS:

1. Add all ingredients to a small sauce pan and heat over medium heat. Let come to a simmer and stir.
2. Remove from heat and let cool completely; refrigerate until chilled.
3. Spoon a ring of the sauce around the crab & avocado stack.

Notes

Add tortilla chips on the side for an added crunchy treat that you can use to scoop the stack with.

Place coulis in a squeeze bottle to make it easier to control when plating.