"THE SOFTIE" SOFT-SHELL CRAB PIZZA

Provided by Food Network

Time 1h30m

Yield Two 8-inch pizzas

Number Of Ingredients 11

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Ingredients

1 1/2 cups olive oil
2 leeks (white and light green parts), halved and then sliced lengthwise and well rinsed (see Cook's Notes)
1 garlic bulb, cloves removed and thinly sliced
8 ounces pizza dough, separated into 2 balls and at room temperature (see Cook's Notes)
All-purpose flour, for dusting
Semolina flour, for dusting
2 soft-shell crabs (or 4 if very small), cleaned (see Cook's Notes)
1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning, preferably Old Bay
3/4 cup thinly shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons freshly chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
1 lemon, sliced into 8 wedges

Steps:

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat; add 1/4 cup olive oil. Place the leeks in the pan and cook slowly, stirring to prevent browning, until soft and wilted, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
Meanwhile, bring the remaining 1 1/4 cups olive oil to a simmer in a small saucepot; add the garlic. Reduce heat to low and cook until garlic is soft but still white, an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to its highest temperature with a pizza stone inside; at least 450 degrees F.
Once the dough is at room temperature, it should be soft and pliable and shouldn't shrink back when you press it. Flatten a ball into a disc. (It is okay if the flattened disc isn't perfectly round at this point.) Place disc on a well-floured work surface and stretch the dough by hand into an 8- to 9-inch round that is 1/4-inch-thick, not pressing out the air bubbles. Place on a pizza peel or dry cutting board layered with a sprinkle of semolina flour.
To assemble the pizza, spread the garlic oil evenly over the dough with a 1-ounce ladle. Add 3/4 cup leeks over the garlic oil and spread evenly. Place a soft-shell crab in the center of the pizza. Transfer the pizza to the oven using a smooth, quick motion to slide the pizza from the peel or cutting board to the stone. Bake until crust is browned evenly, crab is crispy and juices are bubbling, 9 to 16 minutes. Remove from the stone with a pizza peel. Cut into slices and garnish with a sprinkle of seafood seasoning, fresh shaved Parmesan and parsley and serve with lemon wedges. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 1 more pizza. Enjoy.