Treat your guests to these decadent crab cake sandwiches, piled high with fresh crab meat and served on warm buttery brioche buns. There’s no need to form or fry individual patties in this streamlined recipe – simply spread the crab cake mixture onto the rolls and bake them until the crab develops a golden-brown crust and the brioche toasts to a light crunch. To make things even easier, the sauce that coats the crab does double duty as a tangy spread for the sandwich.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr |
| Active: | 35 min |
| Yield: | 12 servings |
Ingredients
- One 12-ounce package soft brioche baguette or sub rolls
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 2 pinches cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 1/2 pounds jumbo lump or lump crab meat, picked through for cartilage and shells
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 1 small head Bibb lettuce, separated into leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler.
- Split the brioche rolls in half lengthwise and place cut-side up on a large baking sheet. Brush with half of the melted butter. Broil, checking often as they can burn easily, until the tops are toasted golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the top halves of the brioche rolls from the baking sheet and set aside.
- Turn off the broiler and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Whisk the mayonnaise, parsley, lemon zest and juice, mustard, seafood seasoning, and scallions in a large bowl. Remove half of the sauce (about 1/2 cup) to a small bowl and stir in the ketchup and cayenne; set aside.
- Add the crab meat and breadcrumbs to the remaining sauce in the large bowl. Fold in gently until well combined. Taste and season with salt and black pepper if needed.
- Mound and press the crab mixture onto the bottom halves of the rolls on the baking sheet (an ice cream scoop works well for this). Pat down the mixture all over so that it holds together and brush with the remaining melted butter. Bake until the crab is golden brown and dry to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Top the crab mixture with the tomato slices and lettuce. Spread the reserved sauce on the roll tops and place on top. Cut the sandwiches into 12 pieces. (You can insert toothpicks into the sandwiches to help keep them together when you slice them.)
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 288 |
| Total Fat | 17 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 20 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 14 g |
| Cholesterol | 73 mg |
| Sodium | 610 mg |