After moving from Arkansas to Baltimore, I had to adjust my taste buds to accommodate the regional foods and spices....and by spices I'm talking about Old Bay. They put the stuff on everything: baked chicken, crab cakes, grilled vegetables, hollandaise sauce, potatoes, chicken wings, bread, and just about any other food you can think of. I didn't like it first, it was too salty for me. However, after being here for three years I've grown to crave the stuff, especially when combined with crab meat!
This recipe is the perfect way to marry the two ingredients Maryland is best known for: Crabs and Old Bay. It really is the perfect recipe and I feel fortunate to have it! Every time I cook it, it reminds me of football season. On Saturday's in the fall we have our intramural football games. Afterwards we pile into the local dive bar, Kisling's Tavern, and devour plates of hotwings, pitchers of beer and bowls of this crab dip. If you want to know what authentic Maryland crab dip tastes like, this is the recipe for you!
Ingredients:
1 lb. crabmeat
8 oz. softened cream cheese
2-3 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 ounces Tabasco or Louisiana hot sauce
2 tbs. mayonnaise
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Mix softened cream cheese with Old Bay, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Add crabmeat and gently fold in so as not to break the lumps. Place in a buttered baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Don't place cheese on top until 5 to10 minutes before baking is finished. Cool slightly and serve with crackers, bread and/or celery spears.
Courtesy of Dan Purcell
