Old Bayggs with Goat Cheese and Tomato

I'm pretty sure that if you pricked an average Marylander between the months of June and September, they'd bleed Old Bay.

Growing up here in Maryland, you hear a lot about crabs.  Not in the "be wary, ye sailors" way, but in the "I could pick a crab clean by the time I entered kindergarten" way.

And you don't have crabs in Maryland - namely, blue crabs - without a hefty dose of Old Bay seasoning.  I'm telling you, that stuff is crab-caked on to these suckers.  I've never steamed crabs myself, so I don't know if they are rolled in Old Bay before steaming (which would be kind of challenging, what with the pincers and all), or after, or both - all I know is that Old Bay is all up in that stuff when you eat crabs - in the eye sockets, in the crevices between the joints in the legs, everywhere.

Don't cut your finger and try to pick a crab.  It will burn.

Unfortunately, in our house, crabs are a bit of a novelty item.  Why, you ask?  Have you bought a dozen crabs lately?  You have to show a pay stub and proof of credit just to place your order.  In short, crabs are pricey little bottom-feeders.

Enter eggs.  An ideal cargo ship for transporting tastes from one vessel to another, eggs take on the flavor of whatever you put into them.  They're like the boom operator on a movie set; they let the star shine, but without them, you wouldn't be able to hear a word she says.

Add Old Bay to scrambled eggs, and you instantly taste Summer in Maryland.  Tangy goat cheese and tomatoes round out the creaminess of the eggs and the salty kick of the Old Bay.

A great combination, for even the most cash-strapped Marylander.  Or wannabe Marylander.  Because who wouldn't want to be a Marylander?





Old Bayggs with Goat Cheese and Tomato

Eggs
Goat Cheese
Tomato
Old Bay seasoning
Salt and Pepper
Oil or butter (optional if you have a non-stick pan, ESSENTIAL if you don't)

Tips:

1. Heat = low and slow.  I've never tasted better scrambled eggs than when they were slowly cooked, almost painstakingly so.  It allows the goat cheese to melt evenly into the mixture and gives the eggs a fluffiness that you just don't get when you speed-cook them.
   
2. Add the tomatoes when the eggs are about halfway done - that way they'll retain their shape, texture, and fresh taste.

Eat well.