Maryland Crab Pizza: The Best Homemade Recipe!

Last updated on December 30th, 2024

This amazing recipe with crab meat: Maryland Crab Pizza, is super easy to make and absolutely delicious!

Being born and raised in Maryland, I’m something of a crab aficionado. I’ll only eat the best of the best when it comes to crab meat.

And my crab recipes have proved themselves time and time again, with super popular recipes like my traditional Maryland crab imperial and award-winning cream of crab soup recipe. 

Therefore, I personally guarantee that you will LOVE this recipe as much as my family has!

The Best Crab Pizza Recipe

On my journey to creating the best crab pizza recipe, I looked over many recipes but none really stood out to me. Some used alfredo sauce, some were more of a crab dip pizza, while others used tomato based sauces. 

I didn’t like this, I wanted a simple recipe with crab as the star ingredient.

Also, several of the recipes included a mixture of mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese. They’re all probably good enough, but I wanted to make a recipe that rises to the top of the heap!

So I’ve included my own special cheese blend that works just amazingly. Finally, after some trial and error, my Maryland crab pizza was born!

Crab Pizza Ingredients

Here’s a quick guide to picking the best ingredients. Check the recipe card below for the full ingredient list.

Jump to Recipe

• Lump Crab Meat: Choose fresh or pasteurized lump crab. Canned crab is fine. Just remember to check for any shell pieces. 
• Pizza Dough: I like to keep things simple and use store-bought dough. Here’s a simple pizza dough recipe if you want to make your own. 
• Mozzarella Cheese: Buy low-moisture mozzarella for less sogginess. Pre-shredded mozzarella works, but fresh slices taste much better!
• Ricotta Cheese: Use whole milk ricotta for a creamier texture. Avoid the cheaper, watery brands. Drain if it is a bit too watery.
• Pecorino Romano Cheese: Use freshly grated Pecorino for the best flavor.
• Crab/Seafood Seasoning: Either Old Bay or these fantastic substitutes for Old Bay Seasoning.

How to Make a Crab Pizza

Step 1: Spread the Dough

Firstly, oil your sheet pan or pizza pan on the bottom and sides so the dough doesn’t stick to the pan.

Then stretch your dough to fit the pan, flatten any bubbles, create a lip around the edge for your crust, and brush the top of the dough with more olive oil.

After that, pre-bake your dough in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 6 minutes.

While pre-baking the dough, in a small bowl, mix your ricotta cheese with the minced garlic and salt, then set aside.

Step 2: Remove Dough from Oven & Add Cheeses

Once you remove your pre-baked dough from the oven, add dollops of the ricotta mixture to the dough and spread evenly with the back of a large spoon.

After that, sprinkle your mozzarella cheese over top of the ricotta mixture.

And finally, sprinkle the pecorino cheese on top of the mozzarella cheese.

Place back into the oven and bake for 10 more minutes.

Step 3: Add Lump Crab Meat 

Sprinkle 1/2 lb (or more based on taste) of your lump crab meat on top of the melted cheese.

Then, sprinkle your seafood/crab seasoning over top of the entire pizza.

Tip: Don’t add the crab meat straight from the fridge. Let it warm to room temperature first (just take it out about 30 minutes earlier). 

Step 4: Finish Baking in the Oven

Place pizza back in the oven and bake for an additional 8 minutes.

Then, remove from the oven, add your fresh basil and serve immediately.

Tips for Making Homemade Pizza

• Store-Bought Dough: You don’t HAVE to make your dough! Did you know that there are several ways you can buy really good, already made, ready-to-bake pizza dough?
  • Most grocery store deli or bakery counters sell freshly made pizza dough.
  • OR, call your favorite pizza place and ask them if they will sell you some of their pizza dough.
  • Lastly, try using a pizza stone. They work really well!
• Imitation Crab Pizza: Yes, it’s not quite the same, but imitation crab can work and it’s a lot easier on the wallet. 
• Cheese Selection: Use sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese vs. fresh mozzarella cheese. The reason for this is because using fresh mozzarella cheese will make your pizza watery.
• Crust Tips: Brush your dough with olive oil before adding your toppings. I promise you, you will love the extra crunch of the pizza crust! And for an even crispier crust, pre-bake it.
• Basil Advice: Don’t cook your fresh basil. Take it from me, the first time I made this recipe, I added the fresh basil before cooking the pizza and the beautiful, fresh basil leaves shriveled up on the pizza. Yuck!

Where To Buy Crab Meat

I usually don’t use any old brand of crab meat—if you’re going to make a pizza using this wondrous delicacy, you have to make sure it’s good!

So when I made this pizza recipe, I used Handy brand, though most brands of crab meat are fine, as long as it’s from Maryland blue crabs!

Is Canned Crab Meat As Good As Fresh?

In one word: Absolutely!

As long as you’re buying crab meat from a reputable source, canned crab meat is totally the way to go when using it in a recipe!

Instead of taking hours to pick a bunch of crabs in order to get a nice pile of savory crab meat (without any shells!), just pick yourself up a container of Maryland blue crab meat and you’re ready to roll!

Plus, canned crab meat lasts way longer than crab meat that you’ve picked yourself.

AND, no cuts on your fingers.

Although, I do take pride in those cuts! They’re badges of honor to us Marylanders.

Making the Perfect Crab Pizza Recipe

I had an extreme desire to make this recipe absolutely perfect! As a result, much to the dismay of my family (not really), I had to make it twice to get it just right. In the process, I ran into just a couple of issues.

First, I really wanted to make homemade pizza dough—should be easy enough, right? However, after following the directions to a T, for some unbeknown reason, the dough wasn’t pliable enough to stretch out onto my cookie sheet–so my son baked it as a loaf of bread!

So plan B: I called my husband and asked him to please pick up some already made pizza dough from the store.

FAQs

Here are some offer questions I’ve been asked about making pizza. 

How Do You Make Seafood Pizza?

A lot of people ask this question and my answer is to make it the same way you make this crab pizza recipe.

However, be sure that the seafood is cooked before you add it to the pizza.

I didn’t have to cook the crab meat because I bought it already steamed in the shell before it was picked.

In addition, you don’t want to overcook the seafood. That’s why you cook it first and then add it at the end of the pizza making process in order to just heat it through.

How Do You Store Leftover Pizza?

That is, if you have any leftovers!

Be sure to store your pizza in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

How to You Reheat Pizza?

And to reheat the pizza, DON’T, I repeat, don’t heat it in the microwave.

It will just be a hot, limp memory of what it used to be.

Instead, place it on a piece of tin foil or a pre-heated baking sheet in a 350 degree F oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until you see the cheese bubbling.

Before You Go…

Without a doubt, I am extremely happy with the results of this recipe!

My family ate it up and asked me when I plan to make it again!

My husband noted that it happens to go really well with a cold glass of beer.

Serve this pizza as an appetizer or your main meal with a side salad–either way, it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser!

More Crab Recipes

Lastly, if you’re not from Maryland, you’re probably wondering what all the crab-pickin’ hype is about with our blue crabs!

Well, my friend Liza at Amusing Foodie explains it perfectly in her 10 Best Things About Picking Maryland Crabs post. 

And here’s a delicious Crab Pretzel recipe by our friends Kat & Melinda at Home. Made. Interest!

If you’ve followed my blog for some time, you know that I’ve made several recipes with canned crab meat.

• In my household, we can’t enjoy a good summer get-together without including some Maryland deviled eggs with crab!
• Another one of my family’s favorites is this traditional Maryland crab imperial recipe—It is absolutely timeless!
• There’s also this Grand Prize winning Maryland cream of crab soup recipe. It truly is the epitome of Maryland’s Eastern Shore cuisine.

Not only do I adore the taste of crab meat, but also my husband and son could devour it all day, every day.

If you’ve tried making this, please leave a message below. I’d love to hear from you!