Week #33: Maryland - Old Bay Crab Dip Pizza

State:  Maryland

"Maryland! Avenge the patriotic gore, That flecked the streets of Baltimore, And be the battle queen of yore, Maryland!  My Maryland!"

This is part of the state of Maryland's song, which was written by James Ryder Randall in 1861 and was enacted as the state song in 1939.  I am living in Florida, but Maryland will always be my home.  I was born there in 1975, in a town called Havre de Grace.  It is a town adjacent to the water, which reminded General Lafayette of the port city in France named La Havre.  Maryland is a state full of history and beautiful landscapes.  You can see the mountains to the west, the ocean to the East, and the valleys in between.  Maryland is known for its seafood, especially the Blue Fin Crab.  Marylanders cook crabs different than Floridians and the neighboring states in the Gulf of Mexico.  The key to cooking crabs is to steam them with the famous Old Bay and some beer.  Eating crabs is a very social and group oriented meal. You will see people at a picnic bench with newspaper, eating crabs and drinking beer.  It's a great time to be with family and friends, telling stories while you’re eating.  Eating Maryland crabs is a tradition that goes back for generations and is a part of our culture.  It is much more than just eating food.  In Maryland, eating crabs is a way of life.

For this challenge, I knew what I wanted to do right away and waiting until I went to visit family for the 4th of July to make this pizza.  Most people when they think of crab, they think of the crab cake.  In any bar, tavern, or restaurant in Maryland, you can find some version of a crab dip.  I love eating Crab Pretzels, which is crab dip smothered over a soft pretzel.  Yum!  So, to pay tribute to my home state, to my family, and my friends, here is the Old Bay Crab Dip Pizza!  Enjoy!  

Ingredients:

1 dozen crabs picked or 1 pound lump crab meat

1 pizza crust

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

2 teaspoons of old bay or if you are like me, 2 tablespoons

1 cup of mayo (I didn't use this much, so start with 1/2 cup and work your way up on taste)

1 package of softened cream cheese (8 oz.) 

Crab Dip:

Combine the mayo, cream cheese, and spices together.  Stir until thoroughly mixed together.  Taste to see if you need more Old Bay or Mayo.  The recipe calls for 1 cup of mayo, but I am not a big mayo fan, so I added it to taste and consistency.  Set aside for later step. 

Meat:

To make this pizza, my dad and I picked 10-12 crabs, focusing on using the lump crab meat for the pizza.  When you eat a crab dip, you want to taste the lump meat.  There is a difference between the leg and lump or body meat.   Picking crabs is a lot of work, but it is VERY worth it.  I did not steam the crabs from scratch, so I bought them from a local seafood dealer.  For my Havre de Grace peeps, these came from Prices Seafood.  I prefer Gibby's Seafood East out on route 40, but these did the trick. To learn how to pick crabs, I would go out on YouTube to find out.  If you don't want to do this, than I would recommend buying Maryland crab meat and not that Thailand farmed stuff.  Maryland crabs are ideal, because they come from the Chesapeake Bay and have a different taste due to the salt/fresh water mix.  They are sweeter and taste much better than salt water crabs. 

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 450.  Cook crust for 7-10 minutes or until slightly browned.  Take out from oven and set aside.  Spread crab dip all over the pizza, ensuring to get all areas of the crust.  Next, add a layer of cheddar cheese, but don't overdo it.  You don't want to overpower the taste of the crab dip. 

Pairing:

With crabs, a good pale ale or IPA is a great choice.  The common standard is a pale ale with eating crabs, because the Old Bay is can be very salty and you need a good balance.  There are a couple of great craft beer companies in Maryland that I would go with, such as Flying Dog, Heavy Seas, Evolution, DuClaw, or the infamous Natty Boh!  This is going to sound horrible, but I am not a fan of Natty Boh when it comes to taste.  Natty Boh or National Bohemia is as good as Natural Light, Busch, or one of the other horrendous $3 six packs.  Natty Boh is more of a nostalgic beer for Baltimore, but I would highly recommend avoiding it if you love good tasting beer.  I would go with a Heavy Seas Loose Cannon IPA for this pizza.  For a wine, go with a Mt. Felix or Boordy Chardonnay or a Pinor Noir.  

Learning Moments:

This is actually the first time I made crab dip, because I usually just eat the crabs or make crab cakes.  It turned out very good and I really enjoyed making this pizza, mostly because I was able to make it with my dad.  My stepfather has always been my dad and has always played a large part in my life. I was very honored and humbled to have picked crabs with him.  My mom has always been my rock in my life and she was able to see me make this pizza as well.  My parents mean the world to me and I very happy the Lord has brought him in my life.  This has been my best pizza yet and I hope you enjoy!!