I’m pretty sure that if you pricked the finger of 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 onto these suckers. I’ve never steamed crabs myself, so I don’t know if they're 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. Any time of year. Score! 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?

Maryland-Style Scrambled Eggs with Goat Cheese and Tomato

• Eggs

• Goat Cheese

• Tomato

• Old Bay seasoning

• Salt and Pepper

• Butter (Just use butter. Eggs are not the same without butter.)

Tips:

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.

Add the tomatoes when the eggs are about halfway done – that way they’ll retain their shape, texture, and fresh taste.