My Maryland roots are coming out. And I’m not sorry about it at all. Summer for me means hot, muggy days and (hopefully) a liiitle bit cooler nights…but more importantly, celebrating every chance we get with some Maryland crab picking!! If you’re not from Maryland/have never gone to a crab bake/picked them, here’s how it goes for all you newbies. You basically sit down at a table with a bunch of newspaper, some crab hammers, and get going on those steamed crabs COVERED in old bay seasoning. Hands first, caveman-style: getting messy is totally encouraged. If you’re clean at the end of it, you did it wrong.
But honestly, Old Bay is too freaking good to only put on crabs alone. If you’ve never had it, it’s a seasoning salt mix with a bunch of spices like paprika, black pepper, cayenne, dried mustard, mace (or nutmeg), cloves, allspice, and a couple others. Basically it’s magic for your tastebuds, tastes freaking AMAZING on crabs, but also anything else that’s a blank canvas. Like this Avocado, Shrimp & Bacon Chesapeake Omelette. Because HEY, even my favorite Tessemae’s has a Lemon Chesapeake dressing with old bay spices in it. So you can put the seasoning on eeeeverything. Like roasted vegetables. Grilled chicken, shrimp, or salmon. Eggs. Sweet potatoes. I’m not kidding it’s good on EVERYTHING.
Game changer: Old. Bay. Sausage. That in itself would be freaking delicious. BUT I decided that it would be even better if I combined it with something slightly sweet, to make my all-time favorite sweet-and-salty combination, for maximum tastebud-gasm.
Old Bay Sausage, Plantain & Kale Frittata.
Yep, I just went there. The savory, slightly spicy sausage is paired with slightly sweet plantains, some cooked kale (because everybody needs a little extra greens in their life), and baked with eggs to make a super easy, take-with-you breakfast option. I can get a local old bay sausage (Whole30 friendly too!) from Baltimore, but if you don’t have that, just substitute 1 lb ground meat (I recommend pork or turkey) + 1 Tbsp old bay seasoning.
- 1 lb old bay sausage OR 1 lb ground pork/turkey + 2 Tbsp old bay spice blend
- 2 plantains (yellow or slightly browning), peeled and sliced into ½ inch rounds
- 1 bunch dinosaur kale, sliced thin
- 10-12 eggs*
- For topping: sliced avocado
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Heat 2 Tbsp coconut oil in a cast iron skillet until hot. Add the plantains in one even layer.
- Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Watch them closely so they don’t burn! Carefully flip with a small metal spatula or fork. Turn the heat to medium-low, and let them go for about another minute on each side if they’re not cooked all the way through.
- Remove the plantains from the pan and add the sausage. Breaking it up with a spatula, cook until browned (and cooked through). Drain the excess grease from the cast iron.
- Next, stir in the chopped kale with the sausage until it begins to soften.
- Layer the plantains in with the kale and sausage, then pour the eggs over top until they start to set (about 2-4 minutes)
- Put the whole skillet in the oven and bake for 25 minutes, until cooked through and firm to the touch.
- Let cool for 5 minutes before you serve. Top with sliced avocado!
Want more breakfast recipes? Check these out!
Avocado, Shrimp & Bacon Chesapeake Omelette
Smoked Salmon Frittata
75 Whole30 Breakfast Recipes
Whole30 Breakfast Power Bowl
