This post is sponsored by Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. I’m thrilled to be partnering with ASMI to share a series of delicious recipes highlighting sustainable, wild-caught seafood from Alaska.

This stuffed avocado with Alaska crab is a low-carb, keto-friendly, quick dinner that will have everyone asking for seconds. Succulent wild Alaska crab is tossed with a bit of cream cheese, lemon, scallions, and smoked paprika, then topped with cheese and briefly broiled.

If you’ve never tried a stuffed avocado with Alaska crab, you are seriously missing out. This recipe is so easy and fast, yet it’s one of the most amazing dinners I’ve created in a long time! I’m bringing you this post as part of a yearlong partnership with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. I love developing recipes with sustainable seafood from Alaska not only because the fish is healthy and better for the environment, but because I’m learning so much more about how to prepare and enjoy amazing things like wild-caught Alaska crab. (In case you missed them, here are the other posts in the series: pumpkin alfredo with seared Alaska scallops, gluten-free fritto misto with Alaska seafood, and sesame-crusted Alaska salmon salad. More coming later this spring!)

I’ve always enjoyed crab, but this was my first time buying a whole cluster of crab legs as opposed to a container of lump crab meat. You can find Alaska lump crab meat already removed from the shell online and in some stores, but let me tell you: getting it straight from the shell yourself is the freshest and most delicious way. Removing the crab from the shell is the only part of this recipe that takes any time at all, and it’s actually fun! You can use crab crackers or a nutcracker, but I just cracked the shells a bit with a meat mallet and then used a fork to open up a lengthwise cut along each leg.

Pictured here is Alaska snow crab (Alaska king crab will also work well!) that I purchased from my local grocery store here in Chattanooga, TN. Alaska crab is wild caught, cooked right away (on the boat itself or immediately after reaching the shore!), then frozen and shipped to stores. So when you buy Alaska crab legs like this, they’re already cooked (read: easy to use!) but also have all the freshness locked in. I bought these Alaska crab legs on a Friday evening and let them defrost in the refrigerator, and they were perfectly thawed and ready to go on Sunday. I got one cup of crab meat from each of these clusters, so two cups total.

Alaska crab is so tasty in its own, with an unmatched sweet and buttery flavor, that it only needs small amounts of a few things to accompany it in this stuffed avocado recipe. A mix of cream cheese and sour cream with scallions, a touch of lemon zest and juice, and a bit of smoked paprika does the trick perfectly.

To make more room for the crab filling, we need to scoop out a little avocado flesh, widening the cavity left behind by the pit. I’m working hard to reduce food waste, so I mashed the extra avocado with a little leftover lemon juice, froze it in a silicone ziptop bag, and then used it in smoothies (read more about avocado in smoothies here and more about freezing avocado here).

Next, just pile the lightly dressed crab into the newly roomy avocado halves and top with shredded cheese. I used a sharp cheddar, but any melty cheese you love will be great, too! Finally, broil the stuffed avocados with crab until the cheese is melted and starting to brown. The crab will be nice and hot, but the avocados below will be barely warm, so I bet you’ll still love this recipe even if you’re wary of cooked avocado. 

It is important to check on these stuffed avocados frequently, because broilers can vary greatly. Whenever I broil anything, I start checking on the food after about 2 minutes and continue to check every 1-2 minutes until it’s done–this is not the time to leave the kitchen for any reason! In my oven, these were perfect after just over five minutes, making this quite a fast recipe. If you have the crab shelled and ready to go, you can make this in less than half an hour.

Once the cheese is melted and browned to your liking, top the stuffed avocados with extra scallions and dig in! A squeeze of lemon is nice to cut the richness of the rest of the dish, so I like to serve these with lemon slices.

My husband, my one year-old, my assistant, and I all loved these stuffed avocados with Alaska crab so much, and I hope you’ll love them too! If you’re looking for more recipes for Alaska crab (which I obviously am!), check out this dairy-free Alaska king crab bisque from Wicked Spatula, perfectly steamed wild-caught Alaska crab legs in the Instant Pot(!) from All the Nourishing Things, and Alaska king crab cauliflower fried rice from Skinnytaste.

Stuffed Avocado with Alaska Crab

Yield: 8 stuffed avocado halves

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 cups cooked Alaska crab meat
• 3 scallions, sliced, plus more for serving
• 4 avocados, halved and pitted
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until smooth. Fold in the Alaska crab meat and scallions. 
2. Use a spoon to scoop some of the flesh out of the avocados, leaving a larger cavity for stuffing (you can use the avocado you scoop out for another purpose—I like to mash it with a little lemon juice and freeze to use in smoothies later). 
3. Divide the crab mixture between the avocados and top with the cheddar cheese. Position a rack about 8 inches below the heating element and broil for 2-5 minutes, checking frequently, or until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown. Top with extra scallions if desired and serve hot.