Lee Bros. Crab Dip

Football Foodies is written by The Gurgling Cod,who each week will recommend good eats to go with the game.

This week, interconference action on Sunday night, as the Washington Redskins wander out of the District to face the Baltimore Ravens. We'd hoped to get together with Ray Lewis on a rabbit mixed grill, starting with his trademark technique of frightening the rabbit to death by looking at it mean, but could not track down his people. Instead, Baltimore is in Maryland, which is noted for crabs. It's a little late in the year to go down the ocean with some Natty Bos, and have a serious crab boil. It's the holiday season, too, which means about a month of parties, and their attendant passed appetizers which can amount to something like human gavage.

Fortunately, Matt and Ted Lee, aka the Lee Bros. have the answer - a crab dip that will keep you busy during the game, but leave you nimble week for another big week of pre-holiday revelry. The recipe is from their Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook, one of the few cookbooks that everyone who lives in the South, or does not live in the South ought to own. Did I miss anyone? For real - they don't give Beard Awards to every geek off the street, and this cookbook is packed with winners.

This is a tasty appetizer, which for one, will change the way you think about crab dip, and for two, you do not need to be Eric Ripert to prepare successfully.

Lee Bros. Crab Dip

(From the Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook, Norton, 2006)

6 ounces picked crabmeat

3 tablespoons mayonnaise (Hellman's or, Duke's if you want to keep it real.)

2 tablespoons lime juice

3 tablespoons finely diced red onion

1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh tarragon

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh pepper

(adjust salt and pepper to taste)

Mix ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. Refrigerate until serving, but not more than 24 hours. Serve with tortilla chips and sesame crackers.