Crab Melt Pita Pizza
Simple sophistication awaits in this crab melt pita pizza that is easy to make and provides a more festive change with its crab dip inspired sauce. Spice it up with hot pepper flakes and some hot sauce in the mix if you like it spicy.
Crab has always been sort of a treat that we have from time to time in the way of appetizers for special occasions.
It is so enjoyable, whether in a sandwich mix, as a crab dip, and as we most often enjoy it nowadays, as a pita pizza.
When you don’t have a lot of time to make dinner, but you still want to enjoy something special, with all the flavors, this is a great option!
It’s so easy to make and most of the ingredients are common enough that you don’t need to venture away from your usual shopping list to accomplish it.
As long as you remember to stock a can of crab meat, or purchase lump crab from your supermarket – you are good to go.
You can stock a few shelf stable cans of crab meat to keep for this super satisfying last minute meal.
Content in this Post
Ingredients in Crab Melt Pita Pizza
- Pita Bread — Lebanese style provides a satisfying thin crust.
- Crab Meat — We use a 170g (120g drained) can of crab meat. You can also use lump crab meat.
- Labneh — Turkish labneh is a thick yogurt similar in flavor and texture to cream cheese, we prefer it to cream cheese for a smooth and creamy crab melt mix.
- Sour Cream — we use full fat sour cream, not light or low fat.
- Cheese — shredded marbled cheddar cheese or use your favorite shredded cheese, mozzarella is also good.
- Hot Sauce — we use Frank’s red hot for a little kick.
- Garlic — a clove or two, depending on how much you like garlic, optional.
- Lemon Juice — freshly squeezed lemon juice is best.
- All Purpose Seasoning — If you don’t have any, sub a quarter teaspoon each of salt, pepper and paprika.
- Green Onions — optional, but recommended if you like them.
- Hot Pepper Flakes –optional, this will make the pizzas quite spicy.
- Red Onion — finely sliced, as a topping for the pizzas, optional.
- Red Bell Pepper — finely sliced, as a topping for the pizzas, optional.
How To Make Crab Melt Pita Pizza
It is so easy to make these super delicious pita pizzas. Start by preparing an easy mix of crab meat, with labneh, sour cream and a few flavorful ingredients.
Then, cover the pita breads with the crab mix. Follow with addition of more toppings if you like them – such as sliced red onions, sliced bell pepper and hot pepper flakes.
Bake in your oven for a few minutes until the cheese is hot and bubbly. Then remove from oven and transfer to individual plates. You can add a little olive oil over top if you like, or skip it.
What To Serve With Crab Melt Pita Pizza
We enjoy our crab melt pita pizzas with the usual Swedish style cabbage pizza salad. It is so nice to have this filling and tasty side dish of finely shredded, similar to coleslaw but with a lighter dressing to it. It fills you up and it’s flavor is a perfect complement to the pizzas.
If you don’t happen to have a green (or even red) cabbage to make pizza salad with, any house style side salad will do. And if you have some, a bowl of marinated olives are a nice touch.
Another favorite side dish for pita pizzas that you can never go wrong with is spinach artichoke dip. It is packed with spinach (about twice as much as the common ratio), and is also made with labneh instead of mayo. We find it goes well with pita pizzas and love to serve it as often as possible.
We like to stick with this trifecta of pita pizzas, pizza salad and spinach dip to take the guess work out of meal preparation. It is simple enough for every day, but also pleasant enough for company.
Preparation and Storage Tips
If you like, you can prepare the mix ahead of time, the day before you will make these. That will cut down the next days preparation time and these will be even more of a breeze!
You can keep any leftover crab melt pita pizzas in the fridge for up to three days . For the best flavor and texture, I would try to limit to one or two days.
More Pita Pizzas
Pita Pizzas are so convenient to make for dinner when you need to be quick in the kitchen. It’s a flavor packed option that takes little time.
The nice thing is you can change it up each time with new combinations. We’re sure you’ll find that there’s always at least one you’re in the mood for.
Plus, they’re customizable, and it’s easy to make more than one style to accommodate everyone in your household.
Try these classic pita pizzas:
- Kebab
- Tuna Melt
- Turkey Tikka Masala
- Date, Bacon and Arugula
- Margherita
- Fresh Mozzarella and Artichoke
- Clam Sauce
- Mackerel and Tomato
- Sardine and Goat Cheese
- Kebab Chicken
- Red Lobster Style Crab and Lobster
- Clam White Sauce
You’ll Also Love
Try our crab mix sandwich that is made without mayo, using labneh and sour cream for a super creamy crab salad.
If you’re planning an extra special brunch, you can use crab mix sandwich in one layer of a seafood sandwich cake (smörgåstårta).
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Crab Melt Pita Pizza
Ingredients
- 2 Pita Bread, Lebanese style
Crab Mixture
- 6 ounces Crab Meat, canned, drained
- ¼ Cup Labneh
- ¼ Cup Sour Cream
- 1 Clove Garlic, minced, optional
- ½ teaspoon All Purpose Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Hot Sauce, Frank's
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 teaspoon Hot Pepper Flakes, optional
- 1 tablespoon Green Onion, sliced
Cheese and Optional Toppings
- 1.5 Cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- ¼ Cup Red Onion, sliced
- ¼ Cup Red Bell Pepper, sliced
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil, cold pressed, extra virgin, optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients for crab mixture in a medium bowl.
- Mix well to thoroughly combine.
- Preheat Oven to 425°F. Line an oven safe baking sheet with parchment paper and place two pita breads on top.
- Evenly distribute the crab mixture among both pitas to cover the surface areas of both.
- Place the sliced red bell peppers and sliced red onions on top of crab mixture, if using.
- Divide the shredded cheddar cheese among both pizzas to cover.
- If using, sprinkle hot pepper flakes evenly over pizzas.
- Bake in Preheated oven for 6 minutes, until cheese is bubbling.
- Remove from heat and place each pizza on individual plates. Optionally, you can drizzle with a bit of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. Serve with Swedish pizza salad or a salad.
Nutrition
Note
The above nutritional values are estimates and should only be used as a guide. If you are following a specific diet or have dietary restrictions, please use your preferred nutritional calculator. If you have a food allergy please ensure that none of the listed ingredients are part of your restrictions. As well, always use a food thermometer to ensure safe cooking temperature of the food items.
