Maryland Crab Pizza: The Best Homemade Recipe!

Last updated on January 22nd, 2024

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

Because I’m a born & raised Marylander, I will only eat the best of the best when it comes to crab meat.

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

Recipe with Crab Meat: Maryland Crab Pizza

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

For example, 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!

In addition, this Grand Prize winning Maryland Cream of Crab Soup recipe 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.

Needless to say, I had to find another recipe with crab meat to add to my collection!

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.

Finding a Recipe with Crab Meat Worthy of Maryland

Once I narrowed down my decision to make a crab meat pizza, I searched online for some recipe inspiration.

Although I love the ideas of crab dip pizza or crab cake pizza, I didn’t want to make this recipe that way.

I found a few recipes but none that really stood out to me.

One recipe uses a crab white sauce, while another couple recipes use tomato based sauces.

Also, several of the recipes include a mixture of mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese.

Needless to say, they’re all probably good enough, but I wanted to make a recipe that rises to the top of the heap!

In addition, the recipe has to be simple enough so as not to mask the amazing taste of the star of the show: the crab meat!

So I had to make this recipe just right, which in my opinion doesn’t include an alfredo sauce, a tomato based sauce or cheddar cheese.

Finally, after some trial and error, my Maryland Crab Pizza was born!

Where To Buy Crab Meat

But I didn’t want to use any old brand of crab meat. 

Because, if you’re going to make a pizza using this wondrous delicacy that requires hours of handpicking from it’s shell, you have to make sure it’s good!

When I made this pizza recipe, I used Handy brand.

Needless to say, any brand of crab meat, as long as it’s from Maryland blue crabs, is good in my book!

Undoubtedly, 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.

Subsequently, I called my husband and asked him to please pick up some already made pizza dough from the store.

Finally, what you’ve been waiting for, my incredible Maryland Crab Pizza recipe!

How Do you Make Crab Pizza?

Ingredients:

• Pizza Dough
• Olive Oil
• Shredded or Sliced Mozzarella Cheese
• Ricotta Cheese
• Minced Garlic
• Salt
• Grated or Shredded Pecorino Romano Cheese
• Lump Crab Meat
• Crab/Seafood Seasoning – either Old Bay or these fantastic substitutes for Old Bay Seasoning
• Fresh Basil

Step 1: Spread the dough

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 degree Fahrenheit oven for 6 minutes.

Step 2: Remove pre-baked dough from oven & add cheeses

In a small bowl, mix your ricotta cheese with minced garlic & salt & set aside.

Then, 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.

Step 4: Bake in the oven for 8 more minutes

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.

Maryland Crab Pizza Recipe

Tips for Homemade Pizza

1.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? Mmm hmm! 

• 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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!

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.

Storing Your Leftover Pizza

That is, if you have any leftovers!

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

Reheating 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.

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!

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!