Aunt Sheila's Crab Dip

There are few things more satisfying in this world than Aunt Sheila's crab dip. She's made it for 30 years, and you can't have a holiday without it. The original recipe is unchanged, but I'll give some tips of things that I've learned over the years as I've made it. I've added ritzy ingredients like parmigiano reggiano and fresh herbs, but I just prefer the original.  All the measurements are to your liking and vary from batch to batch.

I love this dip with Frito's scoops, but other people will eat it with Club crackers or even Ritz crackers. I don't get it; corn chips bring the whole thing together, but I always have another option available. This dip is a rustic, down-home southern recipe, so make sure to serve it in bowl befitting its delicious nature. I always use stainless steel or black. Don't make it fancy. It's expensive to make, but it's not fancy. It'll take a little campaigning to get people to eat it because it ain't pretty, but--once they try it--they will keep coming back for more. And they'll beg you for the recipe, which is why this is here.

Ingredients:

1 lb crab meat (preferably claw, which is cheaper and tastes crabbier)
8 oz cheddar cheese (I always use a 2-5 year aged cheddar, but plain old sharp cheddar is okay, too)
Small-medium white onion
32 oz jar of Duke's mayonnaise (don't get light... just don't)
Worcestershire sauce
Ketchup
Garlic salt
Kosher salt & freshly cracked pepper
Frito's scoops
Club crackers

Steps:

1. Grate the cheddar cheese and set aside. It's best to grate when the cheese is cold. If you just got home from the grocery, throw it in the freezer and do this before step 5.
2. Small dice the white onion and leave on cutting board
3. Drain any excess fluid from the crab meat, put into large mixing bowl, and flake with a fork looking for large shells.

Step 3

4. Add about 1/2 cup onion and mix with crab meat with a fork, but, really, put as much or a little onion as you'd like. It sits overnight, so the onion won't be raw. It gives a little crunch and is amazingly delicious. Add more than you think!
5. Add half the cheese and mix with a fork to get the lumps of grated cheese out. Add the rest and finish.

Steps 4&5

6. Add enough mayo to get the right consistency. I usually use 1/2 to 2/3 of a 32 oz jar. I mix everything first to make sure I don't add too much mayo. (If you do, you can always add a little lemon juice to cut the mayo flavor.)
7. Add ketchup to make a little pink. I only use organic Heinz Ketchup.

Step 7

 8. Add Worcester sauce to taste. I usually put what is pictured below, taste it

Step 8

9. 2-3 pinches of salt and a good dusting of pepper.
10. A nice dusting of garlic salt.
11. MOST IMPORTANT!!! Let sit overnight. This lets the onions sweeten and the flavors meld. If I only have about 4-5 hours, I'll add a couple of dashes of sugar. But it's never as good.
12. Stir and taste. You'll have to adjust the flavors to your liking. You can add more Worcester sauce, ketchup, salt, pepper, garlic salt, etc.

Enjoy within 3 days.