Crabbies

Well, today I am taking a page from my good friend Rebekah, of Bekah's Bits, and posting a recipe for one of my favorite things...Crabbies. Yes, the name great. Yes, it very much could apply to the mood of my favorite 4.5 year old today. No, I couldn't get her to try them. But I am willing to share this recipe with all of you, my few-but-adoring-followers.

But before I share this (life-altering) recipe, allow me to provide a bit of background. Although I currently live in northern Indiana, where winter is eternal, I was born and raised in a tiny place best known as the Eastern Shore or the Delmarva Penninsula. Basically, I grew up in the itty bit state of Delaware, surrounded on several sides by either the Atlantic or the Chesapeake Bay. This region of the U.S. is not known for all that much (other than VP Joe Biden, but I don't want to talk about that). However, one of it's best known features is a little something called the Blue Crab. While it may be relatively small, it is big busines on the Eastern Shore, and as you might imagine, a good many recipes include this delectable little delicacy. Most people enjoy the crab steamed and then cracked, which while very messy, is delicious. However, I personally prefer all the messy and tedious work to be done for me and most enjoy the tiny slivers of crab meat in various recipes.

And thus, the Crabbie fits the bill. This delightful culinary treat was first introduced to me either my Aunt Jeannie or my Mom, but regardless, it became a staple in our house at Christmas time. Technically, it is an appetizer and since my family is not exactly big on 7-course dining, appetizers are only brought out at Christmas. This recipe, however, deserves to be trotted out more than once a year, in my humble opinion.

And so, without further ado...Crabbies!

Pictured above are the ingredients for Crabbies. While generic brands are fine for the butter, garlic salt, seasoned salt, mayo and English muffins...do not, I repeat, do not skimp on the Kraft Old English sharp cheddar cheese or the crab meat. If you can find Phillips brand crab meat, do not pass go, do not collect $200...just buy it. You will want "lump" crabmeat. The only thing I could find was referred to as "special", but if you read the back of the container, it says lump crabmeat from the Eastern Shore of Maryland Blue crab.

And this is most important, for all the seafood-virgins....if you see crab spelled as "Krab"...run the other way. I firmly believe this will ruin the recipe. Krab and crab are not the same thing. There is a reason for the difference in price. It's called taste. (And yes, real lump crabmeat is a tad expensive but every once in a while, it's okay to splurge.)

After gathering all the ingredients, melt the butter and Old English cheese in a saucepan over low/medium low heat until completely melted. (I doubled the recipe, so this picture shows a double batch.)

When the cheese is completely melted and just beginning to bubble, remove from heat and add garlic salt, seasoned salt, mayo and crab meat. Mix together completely.

Now, this step might be best performed first, if your English muffins do not come pre-split. (I didn't realize mine weren't, but it wasn't a big deal.) You will want to split 5 English muffins and lay them "nooks and cranny" side up on a baking sheet. The original recipe calls for 5 muffins, split, but again, I doubled everything for my purposes today.

Next, spoon crab and cheese mixture evenly onto the muffin halves and spread to edges. At this point, you have two options. Since these are technically appetizers, the recipe calls for freezing them on the baking sheet until frozen (only takes a couple hours) and then transfer to a freezer-safe container until you are ready to cook. If you are not making them ahead of time for anything, it is also fine to just skip ahead and broil them for 5-10 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown. (If they aren't frozen, I can't imagine it taking more than 5 minutes.)

Pictured above is the final product...a warm, slightly crisp, ooooeeee, gooeeeyyy, cheesy, slightly garlicky, only mildly crabby treat of infinite worth. The recipe calls for splitting each English muffin into eighths...or sixths...or quarters...or the whole thing (if you love them as much as I do!) Be forewarned that they are pretty rich, so a little goes a long way.

And finally, some parting words. These are not too "fishy" tasting. Even my picky little sister and slightly okay with seafood husband enjoy these. So even if you aren't sure about crab, this is a good way to try it. Also, these are in absolutely no way, any good for you, which of course makes them super-delicious. I mean really, did you see the cheese and butter? Sure the crab meat is low fat and you could use fat-free mayo, but again....cheese and butter will cancel out any benefits. I couldn't even begin to give you the nutritional value because my recipe does not include that info and it wouldn't matter if it did. You can exercise tomorrow. These are worth it.

And if you are still reading: the actual recipe for Crabbies:

Prep time: 10 min. Total time: 20 minutes

5 English Muffins, split

8 oz. lump crab meat

1 jar Old English Sharp Cheese spread (in refrigerated case)

1 stick of butter or margarine

1 1/2 tsp. mayonaise

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Directions:

Melt butter and cheese over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spoon crab and cheese mixture over split English muffins. Freeze on baking sheet for several hours (until solid). When ready to serve, cut into eighths, broil for 5-10 minutes, or until lightly brown, with bubbly cheese. Enjoy!

(As a note, after actually eating some of this batch of crabbies, I think you can safely cut the salt in half and still have plenty...these were a bit salty for my taste, but then again it could be the crazy pregnancy taste buds...)