Galley PiratesBlue Crab Pizza

I remember a few years ago my daughter and her friends, home from college for the summer, decided they were going to make Crab Pizza. Totally cool, I thought. But her first question was not “where are the pizza pans?” Instead, it was “where are the crab pots?” And they set off to catch their crabs. They weren’t going to cut corners on this.

But we will! : )

This is an easy pizza crust recipe that takes very little time. It’s perfect for heavier pizzas like crab pizza because it forms a nice firm, thick crust.

Easy Pizza Dough

1 packet of active dry yeast
1 cup of warm water
2 1/2 cups of flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt

Dissolve a packet of yeast into a cup of warm water. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until it gets frothy.

Place 2 1/2 cups flour in a large bowl. Pour yeast mixture over and stir with a wooden spoon until it’s too thick to stir. Then knead with your hands.

Form a nice ball and then flatten out on a floured surface. If you can master pizza tossing, now’s your chance. But remember that most sailboat cabin tops don’t leave much headroom. To avoid pizza dough stuck to your cabin lights you may have to show off in the cockpit. Although the gulls may think you’ve gone mad tossing food around like that.

Spray your pizza pan with spray oil then dust with corn meal.

Spread your pizza dough out in the pan, making sure to reach the edges. It will constantly want to spring back.

Cover with Saran Wrap while you prepare the Alfredo sauce.

Alfredo Sauce

4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
2 pressed cloves of garlic
1 1/2 cups milk
a few grinds of sea salt
2 tablespoons Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon truffle oil

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large low pan. A non-stick pan helps. Sauté the minced garlic on low for about a minute.

Add flour and stir constantly for a minute or two. Don’t let it burn.

Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk. Keep whisking until it thickens into a nice white sauce consistency.

Take off the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons Parmesan and a quarter teaspoon of truffle oil (optional).

Meanwhile, your crust may be rising a bit. Take the Saran wrap off and prepare to assemble your pizza.

Crab Pizza

One prepared pizza crust
1 1/2 cups Alfredo Sauce (recipe above)
2 cups shredded mozzarella
2/3 cup lump crab meat
1 cup chopped scallions
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning

Slowly pour the Alfredo sauce over the crust.

Spread to the edges with the back of a spoon. Then sprinkle on mozzarella.

Chop 1 cup, more or less, of scallions.

We didn’t catch our crabs today. We skipped a HUGE step which would require chicken necks, trot lines or crab pots. And a good afternoon or so of work…if we were lucky. We bought our crab meat from Graul’s Market. Notice the nice lump crab meat on top.

Top the mozzarella with the lump crab meat, scallions and a few shakes of Old Bay seasoning.

Preheat your oven to about as hot as you can get it. Try to keep it above 450 if possible.

Place the pizza in the oven and let it cook for about 45 minutes. This time is very dependent on the temperature of your oven. Just check it after about 30 minutes to see how it looks. The top should be bubbly and browning. Many galley ovens have a hard time reaching over 400 degrees, so it may take a little longer.