
Rappahannock Crab Sandwich
Recipe courtesy of Kenneth Williams, Executive Chef, Indian Creek Yacht & Country Club, Kilmarnock, Va.
Ingredients
- For mix: jumbo lump crab meat - 1 lb.
- sour cream - ½ cup
- mayonnaise - ½ cup
- Swiss cheese - 4 oz., chopped
- green onion - ¼ cup , chopped
- Old Bay Seasoning - 1 tsp.
- salt + pepper
- For Rosemary Lemon Bechamel sauce:
- whole milk - 2 cups
- heavy cream - 2 cups
- salted butter - 4 oz.
- all-purpose flour - 4 oz.
- shallot - 1 ea., whole
- cloves - 2 ea., whole
- bay leaf - 1 ea.
- rosemary - 1 tsp., fresh, minced
- lemon zest - ½ tsp., fresh
- salt + pepper
- For sandwich:
- English muffin - 1 ea., cut into halves
- Applewood smoked bacon - 4 ea., sliced
- crab mix - 2 Ea., 4 oz. scoops
- Swiss cheese - 2 Ea., sliced
- chives - 2 oz., diced
Instructions
Procedure:
- For the mix: Combine all ingredients (except crab meat) into a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Gently fold crab meat into mixture to ensure minimal breaking up of the crab.
- For the sauce: Melt butter in sauté pan and whisk in flour until mixture thickens, creating a roux. In a separate medium-size pot, add milk, cream, shallot, cloves and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow 5 minutes to simmer. Remove shallot, cloves and bay leaf. Slowly add the roux until the consistency coats the back of a spoon. Fold in minced rosemary and lemon zest. Season with salt + white pepper
- To build sandwich: Griddle English muffin halves. Add 4 oz. scoops of crab mix to an oven-safe greased pan and top with Swiss cheese. Place in oven at 350° until cheese is melted (3-4 minutes). Remove muffins to plate. Add 2 strips of bacon per English muffin half, top with 4 oz. crab mix. Cover each sandwich with a ladle of rosemary sauce. Garnish with diced chives and a sprinkle of Old Bay seasoning.