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Warm crispy crab cakes are best served with a creamy dipping sauce on the side.
Crab cakes are usually served with a garlic or lemon dipping sauce since these flavors go well with seafood.
You can serve crab cakes with remoulade, tartar sauce, spicy mayo, lemon basil aioli and more!
Remoulade
Remoulade sauce is one of the most popular dipping sauces for crab cakes. It’s a creamy, Cajun flavored dipping sauce.
Remoulade sauce is made by combining mayo, mustard, sweet paprika, Cajun seasoning, horseradish, dill pickle juice, hot sauce, and minced garlic together.
Remoulade sauce needs a few hours to chill and let the spices infuse into the mayo before using it as a dipping sauce with crab cakes.
Lemon Basil Aioli
Lemon basil aioli is a creamy sauce with hint of basil and citrus flavors.
Lemon basil aioli is made by blending together mayo, fresh basil leaves, minced garlic, and fresh lemon juice.
Basil adds a peppery flavoring to the aioli, giving it a bit of spicy finish when paired with crab cakes.
Roasted Red Pepper Aioli
Roasted red pepper aioli is a creamy dipping sauce for crab cakes with a hint of spice, citrus and garlic.
Roasted red pepper aioli is made by combining roasted peppers, paprika, mayo, fresh lemon juice, and minced garlic in a food processor and blending together until smooth.
Lemon Garlic Aioli
Lemon garlic aioli is a creamy, citrusy lemon dipping sauce for crab cakes with a hint of garlic.
Lemon garlic aioli is made by mixing together fresh minced garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and mayo.
You can use a little leftover lemon to squeeze the juice onto your crab cakes right before serving.
Tartar Sauce
Tartar sauce is a tangy, creamy sauce for crab cakes with a hint of lemon.
Tartar sauce is made by mixing together mayo, diced pickles, dill weed, fresh lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper.
Spicy Mayo
Spicy mayo is a sriracha infused mayo dipping sauce for crab cakes.
Spicy mayo adds a bit of a bite to a crab cake appetizer.
The crispiness of the crab cakes, combined with the creamy spicy mayo, makes for a delicious savory dipping sauce for crab cakes.
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Octopus is a delicacy that you can serve with a variety of nutty, or oil based dipping sauces.
You can serve octopus with a classic lemon herb olive oil, or romesco sauce.
Octopus goes well with spicy Korean sauce, or a simple sesame oil based sauce.
Romesco Sauce
Romesco sauce is a roasted red pepper sauce for dipping octopus into.
You can use already roasted red peppers to make romesco sauce.
Romesco sauce is made by adding the following to food processor and blending together to make a thick, nutty sauce for dipping octopus into:
roasted red peppers
fire roasted tomatoes
toasted and blanched almonds and hazelnuts
olive oil
parsley
smoked paprika
red pepper flakes
minced garlic
fresh lemon juice
red wine vinegar
Lemon Herb Olive Oil
Lemon herb olive oil is a citrusy, herb flavored olive oil for a dipping sauce for octopus.
Extra virgin olive oil is mixed together with fresh lemon juice, oregano, fresh parsley leaves, and minced garlic.
When you’re ready to serve your octopus, spoon lemon herb olive oil all over octopus, and then your guests can dip the octopus into the leftover sauce on the plate.
Sugar is mixed with some water in a saucepan over low-medium heat until it begins to bubble.
Sugar syrup is simmered and then set to cool.
After the syrup has cooled, fresh lime juice, fish sauce, chopped cucumber, chopped cashews, fresh coriander leaves, and diced chili are added into the saucepan and mixed together.
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Warm crispy deep fried calamari is best paired with a savory dipping sauce to add a creamy finish to this exquisite appetizer.
You can use make classic dipping sauces for calamari such as tzatziki, lemon garlic aioli, or marinara sauce.
You can also pair fried calamari with lime tartar sauce, sundried tomato aioli, spicy mayo and more!
Tzatziki Sauce
Tzatziki is one of the most popular dipping sauces for calamari.
Tzatziki sauce is a tangy, yogurt based sauce with a hint of dill and cucumber.
Tzatziki sauce has a thick base of Greek yogurt.
Greek yogurt is strained through a cheesecloth for about 2 hours to remove the liquid from the yogurt.
Olive oil, dill, grated cucumber, vinegar, salt, and minced garlic are added to the strained Greek yogurt to create a creamy, dill and cucumber flavored dipping sauce for fried calamari.
Smoked Paprika Aioli
Smoked paprika aioli is a creamy dipping sauce for fried calamari with a hint of garlic.
Smoked paprika aioli is made by combining mayo, minced garlic and smoked paprika.
Smoked paprika has a “smoked” flavor to it, which is a bit different than regular paprika that is a little bit of heat.
The smoked flavor of the paprika goes well with crispy deep fried calamari.
Lime Tartar Sauce
Lime tartar sauce is a savory creamy sauce for deep fried calamari with a hint of lime flavoring.
Lime tartar sauce is made by combining together mayo, diced pickles, dill weed, chives, diced onions, parsley, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and salt.
Spicy Mayo
Spicy mayo is a sriracha infused mayo dipping sauce for calamari.
Spicy mayo adds a bit of a bite to your calamari appetizer.
The crispiness of the calamari, combined with the creamy spicy mayo, makes for a delicious savory dipping sauce for calamari.
Spicy mayo is a favorite sauce for calamari that also has a few deep fried sliced jalapenos mixed into the dish.
Sundried tomato aioli is made by combining mayo, sundried tomatoes, minced garlic, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, and a little salt to a food processor and is blended together until smooth.
Sundried tomato aioli is more of a fancy dipping sauce that you see in local upscale restaurants.
Marinara Sauce
Marinara sauce is a tomato based sauce to dip into calamari.
Marinara sauce has a rich, tomato flavor to it, with hints of garlic and herbs.
Marinara is made by adding oregano, basil, minced garlic, salt, and olive oil to tomato sauce. The flavors come together by heating them on the stove for a couple of minutes.
Lemon Garlic Aioli
Lemon garlic aioli is a creamy, citrusy lemon dipping sauce for a calamari with a hint of garlic.
Lemon garlic aioli is made by mixing together fresh minced garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and mayo.
You can use a little leftover lemon to squeeze the juice onto your calamari right before serving.
Tosazu (Japanese dipping sauce)
If you’ve ever ordered deep fried squid at a Japanese restaurant, tosazu is typically the sauce served with the dish.
Tosazu is a vinegar based dipping sauce for fried calamari.
Tosazu is a combination of rice vinegar, sugar, salt, soy sauce, mirin (sweet rice wine), and bonito flakes (smoked tuna flakes).
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Celery is a go to snack food that can be used to make celery “fries”, stuffed celery, or use it for dipping.
Celery can be dipped into more than just ranch! You can use it to dip into hummus, cheese balls, baked brie and more!
Stuffed celery can be filled with cream cheese infused foods like buffalo chicken, everything bagel, and bacon cheddar flavors.
Celery Sticks and Dip
Celery sticks can be cut into 2-3 pieces per stock. Each celery stick can be dipped into savory dips likes hummus or a cheese ball for a filling snack in the afternoon.
Baked brie is a versatile snack you can dip celery sticks into.
Brie cheese has the rind cut off of the top of it, and then it can be topped with pesto or sundried tomatoes if desired.
Brie is baked in the oven until it completely melts and is a soft, gooey texture.
After baked brie comes out of the oven, it can be topped with almonds, pecans, fig jam, dried cranberries, honey, basil leaves, bacon bits, or apple pieces to flavor it how you like.
Use your celery sticks to dip it into the melted cheese and flavorful toppings for an easy go to snack.
Celery sticks can be cut into 2-3″ pieces, and in the center of the celery is a well that can be filled to create a stuffed celery snack.
Stuffed celery is easily filled with cream cheese that has been infused with savory foods such as buffalo chicken, bacon and cheddar, or everything bagel.
Softened cream cheese spreads easily inside the well of the celery stick.
You can also fill celery sticks with tuna salad or egg salad for a change. It’s a lighter snack than if you were using bread.
Peanut butter or hazelnut spread can be placed inside stuffed celery and then topped with pretzels, raisins, hazelnuts, almonds, or banana slices.
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Cauliflower is a versatile side dish or main course you can coat in sesame orange sauce, lemon garlic yogurt sauce, or drizzle creamy cheese sauce over.
For more of a savory sauce, you can toss your roasted cauliflower with garlic and ginger sauce, or maple siracha sauce.
Yogurt Sauce
Yogurt sauce served over roasted cauliflower is a thick, citrusy flavored sauce.
Greek yogurt is mixed together with freshly squeezed lemon juice and a couple of minced garlic cloves.
After cauliflower is finished baking in the oven, drizzle yogurt sauce over cauliflower and enjoy!
Tahini Sauce
Tahini sauce is a sesame flavored sauce with a hint of paprika for baked cauliflower.
Tahini sauce is made by heating olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, with a few minced garlic cloves.
After garlic has infused into olive oil, it is removed from the heat source. Tahini, fresh lemon juice, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper are whisked into the sauce. Add a little water to thin it out if desired.
Pour tahini sauce over cooked cauliflower, and garnish with a bit of paprika.
Shredded cheddar cheese is heated in a saucepan over low to medium heat with milk, cornstarch, garlic powder, pepper and paprika, and whisked together until smooth.
Once cauliflower is finished baking in the oven, drizzle cheese sauce over cauliflower and enjoy!
Sesame orange sauce is made by combining freshly squeezed orange juice, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, minced garlic, cornstarch, ginger, and a little sriracha in a saucepan over medium heat.
Cornstarch will thicken the sauce after a few minutes, and then it can be tossed with baked cauliflower.
Sprinkle a few sesame seeds over the dish when you’re ready to serve.
To make the sauce, vegetable oil, grated ginger, minced garlic, chili flakes, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and water are combined in a saucepan over medium heat.
When the cauliflower sauce begins to boil, cornstarch and water are mixed together and added to to the sauce.
Cornstarch will thicken the sauce after a couple of minutes.
Once the sauce is finished cooking, it can be tossed with deep fried cauliflower.
Garnish with a few chopped green onions and sesame seeds.
Maple Sriracha Sauce
Maple siracha sauce is a sweet and spicy sauce for roasted cauliflower. The sauce is actually made beforehand, and then drizzle on the cauliflower prior to baking it in the oven.
Olive oil is mixed together with sriracha sauce, maple syrup, and a little salt and pepper.
Coat cauliflower pieces in sauce, and bake in the oven until cauliflower is fork tender and golden brown.
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Celery is a crunchy vegetable you can use in soups, salads, stir fry’s, or for stuffing and dipping.
Celery sticks have a curved well inside them, so you can easily fill it with avocado, peanut butter, or buffalo chicken cream cheese for an easy snack.
Celery has a strong structure to it so you can also use it for dipping into almond butter, cucumber and dill dip, hummus, or a cheese ball.
Stuffed
Celery sticks are prepared by removing one stock from the bunch of celery.
The white part on the bottom of the stock is cut off, as well as the top of the stock so there is only the green curved portion of celery left.
Celery stocks can be cut into 2-3 pieces, and then you can prepare the filling.
Softened cream cheese works well for spreading inside celery sticks.
You can infuse cream cheese with herbs and spices to create savory appetizers or snacks.
Celery adds a sweet, pungent flavor to soup broth. You can cook whole celery stocks in soup broth to make a flavorful, savory broth for the base of soup such as turkey soup.
Typically celery is also cooked along with carrots to make the soup broth have a full body of flavor.
Diced celery is also added to soups for a little bit of softened texture as it cooks into the soup.
Olive oil is heated in a saucepan with finely chopped shallots and minced garlic for a couple of minutes to let the aromas come out of the shallots and garlic.
White wine is added to the sauce and cooked until it reduced about 1/3 in volume.
Butter and heavy cream are added to the sauce to make it rich and creamy.
Once the sauce has thickened, it’s removed from the heat.
Fresh lemon juice and dill are added to the sauce for a citrusy herb flavor for the salmon dipping sauce.
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, dill weed, salt, and pepper are added to the base of the sauce and mixed together.
Creamy dill sauce is a citrusy and dill flavored sauce for salmon.
Tzatziki Sauce
Tzatziki sauce is a thick, tangy sauce with a hint of dill and cucumber.
Tzatziki sauce has a base using Greek yogurt.
Greek yogurt is strained through a cheesecloth for about 2 hours to remove the liquid from the yogurt, leaving a thick base for the Salmon dipping sauce.
Olive oil, dill, grated cucumber, vinegar, salt, and minced garlic is added to the yogurt to create a creamy, dill and cucumber flavored dipping sauce.
Butter is warmed in a saucepan, along with fresh lemon juice and garlic powder.
Lemon butter sauce only take a couple of minutes to come together, and has a refreshing lemon flavor with a hint of savory garlic for dipping salmon in.
Freshly squeezed orange juice, orange zest, white wine, and shallots are heated in a saucepan over medium heat until it turns into a syrup consistency.
Cold butter is added to the sauce and whisked into it to emulsify the sauce. It’s added only 1 tbsp at a time, and whisked constantly, preventing the sauce from coming to a boil.
Add salt and pepper at the end of the cooking the citrusy beurre blanc salmon dipping sauce.
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Celery is a crunchy, textured vegetable you can dip in a lot of foods than just ranch!
You can use celery for dipping into baked brie, hummus, cheese balls, almond butter, blue cheese dip, and lime yogurt sauce.
Roasted Garlic Hummus
Roasted garlic hummus is a homemade chickpea appetizer with hints of garlic, and spicy flavors.
Roasted garlic hummus is made by roasting garlic in the oven.
You can make the roasted garlic by cutting off the top part of garlic to expose the cloves, and then drizzle olive oil on the cloves. Cover the garlic with tin foil, and place in a heat proof dish. This way, the oil drippings will end up in the dish, instead of in your oven.
When the roasted garlic is finished cooking, and has cooled down, squish out the roasted garlic cloves.
To make the roasted garlic hummus, chickpeas, tahini, roasted garlic cloves, lemon juice, olive oil and water are added to a food processor. The mixture is blended until smooth, and then it’s ready to serve.
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Prosciutto is a specialty food that can be added to make an appetizer, pasta, pizza, or a salad.
You can fold it in a couple different ways to make it look enticing, or even wrap food with it for a fancy appetizer.
Folded
You can make intricate appetizers using folded strips of prosciutto that will make them look chef-worthy.
Using a slice of baguette, a crostini, or a cracker, place a layer of your favorite jam or jelly, cheese, arugula, and a folded piece of prosciutto.
You can fold it like an accordion, or for smaller pieces, one fold, and have the fold off to the side. It will make the prosciutto look more eye-catching this way.
Top your appetizers with honey or drizzled balsamic vinegar for a sweeter finish.
Prosciutto is sliced into long, thin shapes, which makes it perfect for wrapping up other food with.
Lay the prosciutto out flat, and begin by placing a thin layer of a fruit (apple, pear, etc.) near the edge of the prosciutto, leaving about an inch on one side.
You can put a spoonful of jam, honey, etc. on top of the fruit.
Keep layering with cheese, arugula, etc.
When you’re ready to roll up, place the 1 inch of prosciutto that you left from the beginning, over the layers of filling.
Then continue to wrap your prosciutto until the end. You can put the prosciutto wrap with the edge downward, and put a toothpick in if desired.
You also have the option of wrapping prosciutto, and then baking it, like prosciutto wrapped asparagus.
Prosciutto crisps up in the oven, therefore it serves very well on top of flatbread.
Roll out your flatbread, place your favorite pizza sauce on top, and a little mozzarella cheese. Top with strips of arugula, peppers, onions, pineapple, etc.
After it comes out of the oven, sprinkle arugula and balsamic vinegar on top.
Pasta
Prosciutto doesn’t need to be cooked, therefore it tosses in well at the end of making pasta for a savory finish!
It’s a creamy, citrusy lemon flavored pasta that you’ll love!!
Sandwich
Prosciutto layers well with other meats like salami, or turkey to make sandwiches with, or goes well by iteself.
Prosciutto can have a wide variety of spreads with it like pesto, fig jam, cranberry sauce.
Add in a few greens like arugula, and some cheese (Havarti, gouda) and you can eat your sandwich cold or warm to have the cheese melt onto the prosciutto.
Prosciutto is a nice filler for a salad, since it doesn’t need to be cooked. You can add a couple of small strips that are bite sized pieces for a delicious addition to your favorite salad.
