Crab Pot Pie

Sorry for my mini blogging hiatus this past week (does a week even count as a hiatus?); I went on vacation to Atlantic Beach, NC for a couple days. Seems like it would be a great place to unwind, but it was a weird trip. The perfect word for it would be “slow”. Or maybe “dead”. Hm…how about “odd”? Yeah, definitely odd. To be blunt, there wasn’t much to do in that town, much less the area. Everywhere you looked there were vacant buildings and closed shops. The heat and wind were pretty unbearable so I guess a lot of the locals relocated. Who knows. I really don’t want to bash anything, but it’s not a town I’d recommend visiting if you’re expecting a lively vacation. Despite the negatives, we tried going with the flow and eventually found a few fun activities to do (i.e. explored a military fort, went on awesome all-day catamaran ride, enjoyed epic mini golfing where I got a hole-in-one, met very friendly people, etc). Right now I’m just happy to be home in a land where there is some life/energy. By no means do I need 24 hours of craziness each day, but I’d like the option!

Prior to going on a vacation, I always like to make one last good homecooked meal since hotel rooms rarely have kitchens or free ingredients. Since cooking is such a central part of my life, it doesn’t take long for me to miss it while jet setting around the globe. So yeah – the night before my family and I left, I made this crab pot pie and got rave reviews. My original intention was to blog about it while sitting on a North Carolina beach, but even though the “resort” claimed to have wifi, it definitely didn’t seem to exist. Womp womp. Oh well, life marches on.

So the crab pot pie is PACKED with vegetables and delicate pieces of lump crabmeat. Those tasty morsels swim around in a delicious seafood gravy that you totally just want to sop up with crusty bread. If you don’t have a loaf handy, don’t worry because a flakey pastry seals in all that bubbling goodness. A simple pie crust provides just the right amount of buttery carbs and crumbly texture to make you drool. Here’s a tip for ya – you can easily make your own crust, but I don’t mind doing it the semi-homemade way with store bought pie dough. Let’s face it, we all need at least one time saver per meal, and this was mine.

It was kind of ironic I made a crab pot pie before heading down to NC because every menu I saw down there had at least one or two crab dishes. Not gunna lie…after eating mine at home last week, nothing really compared! But I kept an open mind and still enjoyed fresh seafood every day. Gosh, now I’m hungry. Talk to you guys later!

**I know I know, lots of ingredients. Don’t be turned off by the list though…it’s not super hard to make!** 

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoons garlic (minced)

1 red onion (diced)

1 red bell pepper (diced)

1 yellow bell pepper (diced)

1 zucchini (diced)

1 ear of corn

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons flour

1 and 3/4 cups seafood stock/broth

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)

12 oz lump crabmeat

8 0z pastry sheet (Pillsbury)

Salt/pepper, to taste

Cheddar cheese, to garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Shuck corn. Lay on a piece of tin foil. Sprinkle lightly with salt/pepper/oil. Wrap in foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until done. Cool. Cut kernels off the cob and reserve.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter and oil. When butter is melted, add garlic, red onion, and bell peppers with a pinch of salt/pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Add in zucchini and cook for 5 more minutes.

Sprinkle in cayenne and flour. Mix until everything is coated. Cook for 2 minutes.

Pour in seafood stock, stirring continuously. Pour in heavy cream. Stir until mixed.

Mix in fresh parsley, corn kernels, and lump crabmeat. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until mixture starts to thicken. Ladle into oven safe bowls.

Roll out the pastry crust and cut to fit bowls (doesn’t have to be perfect). Top each bowl with pastry crust, making sure the entire surface is covered. Cut a small X in the center to allow steam to escape. Sprinkle with salt/pepper and a bit of cheddar cheese (if using).

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.

Cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!