WHO'S GOT CRABS?

[Dedicated to my two friends Kathleen & Lil Peanut, who swore vengence on me if I didn't share this recipe with them. I did, and now you ALL can have a taste. Ha!]

Okay girls, let's ride! Gabriel's Georgia Lowlander Crab Dressing. Like I've pointed out, I've never measured anything, so this whole process might seem a little vague until you get the hang of it. The first time I made this stuffing, it was totally from scratch, in the sense that I used plain bagged breadcrumbs and croutons because that's what I had in stock at the time. But since that first time, I have always used StoveTop Stuffing. Savory Herbs variety, but cornbread or pork would work as well.

So let's get started on an ordinary sized batch using TWO PINTS of crab meat...

Let's talk crab meat. Of course, Lump white is the best, very expensive, but it does render the best flavor and is chunkier and cleaner than the rest of the crab. Backfin is good and claw meat will also do nicely enough. These two varieties are more often on sale, a better fit for most of us on tight budgets when the lump white prices are kissing the sky.

So, in a LARGE FRYING PAN, sautee half a bag of frozen yellow corn in a scoop or two of margarine until slightly browned, and then toss in a large diced onion. No need to overcook the onion, but stir just enough to mix thoroughly with the corn and margarine. Then stir in TWO PINTS of well-drained crab meat of choice and declump with spoon or spatula as desired until thoroughly mixed with corn and onions. Continue to stir the mix. Here it gets tricky. To crabs, McCormick Old Bay Seasoning is the bomb. Not enough, and the great taste of MOBS is understated. Too much, and the dish tastes salty, and overwhelms the natural crab flavor. Since I never measure, I just pour gently and continue to sift until the crab & corn is rich in flavor. For beginners, I'd suggest starting with a quarter of a cup of MOBS, mixing liberally into the meat. If you believe you need more, simply sprinkle more into the batch while stirring. It WILL TASTE a bit salty, of course, but remember, once you stir the meat into the stuffing, this saltiness will dilute, if not overdone.

In a separate 2 quart pot, open two boxes of Savory Herbs StoveTop (Have a third on hand for emergencies). Follow directions on box. Do not overliquify. If you do, you will need to add more bread crumbs, croutons, or stove-top. Otherwise, the dressing will have a mushy texture best avoided.

Then throughly mix the meat and bread stuffing in a separate mixing bowl or reuse one of the current pans, if large enough.

Thirdly, let's turn our attentions to an oven-safe casserole deep dish or baking pot.

If using a deep bowl, fill with the casserole about halfway, then sprinkle or place in a layer of thinly sliced cheddar or monterey jack cheese. Continue to fill bowl until all mixture is used or capacity of bowl is reached. Repeat the cheese layer. Then for visual effect, add for color or preference, whole unpitted olives, jalepenos, bell pepper rings, sliced tomatoes, or whatever suits your fancy on the surface of the dish in an arrangement that suits you. I used olives this past weekend, but remember, this is your chance to be fancy. If using a deep dish pyrex pan, I would skip the middle layer of cheese. Another variation I have used is to hold back enough crumbs or croutons to sprinkle among the top-layer garnish, for that crusty effect.

Finally pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until slightly browned.

Now you've got a dish you can't get enough of...

I think it's all here. Best I can recollect. Boo yah!