Hot Crab Dip Pizza

While hot crab dip usually comes by the spoonful or in chip-dripping form, we love it as a pizza topping. Paired with slices of fresh mozzarella, it gets bubbly and delicious as the pizza cooks. We top it with fried shallots and chives post-bake and serve it with lemon wedges and Tabasco.

We took inspiration from the Chesapeake Bay (the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States where crab is put into just about everything) when making our hot crab dip — and it hews pretty close to tradition. We skipped the Old Bay Seasoning and the cream cheese, opting for a mayonnaise-based dip with onion, celery and herbs to better highlight the crab. With that in mind, choose high-quality lump crab meat and go gentle on the mixing. The harder you stir, the more you risk breaking apart all of those big, delicious pieces of crab.

We like to serve this pizza with lemon wedges and more Tabasco on the side for an acidic contrast to all the rich creaminess atop the pizza. Don’t choose just any hot sauce, though — the vinegar-based simplicity of Tabasco really is the name of the game here.

This recipe features Fried Shallots, which are part of our Garnish of the Month series. You can find Hot Crab Dip Pizza mentioned in This New Year's Eve, Forget the Knife and Fork.

Hot Crab Dip Pizza

Note

If making the same day, allot an hour for the crab dip to chill in the fridge before using it to top any pizzas.

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