Creamy Shrimp and Peppadew Crostini

Ingredients

• 1 baguette
• 1/4 c. salted butter (softened)
• 1 T. olive oil
• 3 medium cloves garlic (minced)
• 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
• 1/4 c. mayonnaise
• 2 4- oz. cans Chicken of the Sea® Medium Shrimp (drained, rinsed, and roughly chopped)
• 1/2 c. finely chopped Peppadew peppers (plus a bit more for garnishing the tops of the finished crostini)
• 1/4 c. finely chopped green onion (white and green parts)
• lemon zest from half of a large lemon
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (plus a bit more cracked over the tops of the finished crostini)
• finely sliced fresh chives (for garnishing the tops of the finished crostini)

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 375° F.

2. 2

   Slice baguette diagonally into 1/4" thick slices and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together butter, olive oil, and chopped garlic until combined. Spread onto one side of each slice of baguette. Place baguette slices onto one or two baking sheets, buttered sides up. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden and toasted. Remove from oven and allow crostini to cool on baking sheets.

3. 3

   In a medium bowl, stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise until well blended. Stir in half of the chopped shrimp, and then the chopped peppers, green onion, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Then lightly fold in the remaining half of the chopped shrimp so there are noticeable chunks of shrimp. Spoon a bit of the creamy shrimp and peppers mixture onto each piece of crostini. Top each appetizer with some additional chopped peppers and the sliced chives. Sprinkle lightly with additional freshly ground black pepper if desired.

4. 4

   An alternative to this recipe would be to serve the creamy shrimp and pepper mixture as a dip, with the crostini on the side. This would also work great with your favorite crackers and/or fresh veggies for dipping.