King Crab Bit Sandwiches
There’s nothing better once summer arrives than some fresh seafood to enjoy with friends for a backyard BBQ, picnic or beach party. Crab cakes are one of my favourite things to eat during the warmer months, and were super easy to make and transform into a gorgeous Gourmet Alaskan King Crab BLT Sandwich with the help of my new KitchenAid® Pro Line® Series 4-Slice Automatic Toaster.
This gorgeous candy apple red beauty is a new product in the KitchenAid® Pro Line® Series, which is engineered and designed for exceptional performance. It’s not only a beautiful addition to your kitchen appliance collection, but also smart as a whip with plenty of options to make the perfect piece of toast in a snap. And it even comes in three sleek colors: black, white and red.
It has four extra-wide slots on top (wide enough for a nice thick roll or bagel!) and has a slider feature for desired darkness. With the easy push of a button, it automatically slides down and right back up when it’s done. How easy is that?
This advanced toaster is equipped with a host of smart features for effortless toasting, including a ‘Keep Warm’ function and ‘A Little Longer’ function when you want to toast just a few minutes more for the perfect golden brown color to your liking or just keep your toast warm while you’re cooking the rest of your meal. It even lets you toast frozen bread or rolls and knows the perfect temperature and timing. Such a smarty pants! And it makes the perfect toasted rolls for my Crab Cake BLT Sandwiches.
My Crab Cake BLTs are made with fresh lump Alaskan king crab meat with tons of flavor inside with red and jalapeno peppers, fresh cilantro, scallions and chives, Sriracha, mayonnaise, fresh lemon juice and capers. They are coated in Japanese Panko breadcrumbs and lightly fried to perfection. The crab cakes rest on a gorgeous bed of lettuce and juicy tomatoes, garnished with crispy bacon and a light and refreshing coleslaw for crunch, with a spicy sesame Sriracha mayo for some kick and extra flavor, on a beautifully toasted sesame hard roll. Enjoy.
Fry eight slices of bacon until crispy, drain on paper towels and set aside.
Prep and measure the ingredients for the crab cake filling.
To make the Crab Cake filling, whisk together the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, lemon and zest, and beaten egg in a small mixing bowl until smooth.
In another medium bowl, toss the crabmeat with the Old Bay seasoning and breadcrumbs, and fold gently into the mayonnaise mixture until well combined, breaking up the lumps with your fingers. Add sliced chilies, red bell pepper, scallions, chives, cilantro, sea salt and pepper; mix together well. Cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for up to two hours.
Once the crab cakes are ready to cook, beat the eggs in a small bowl and place the Panko breadcrumbs in another small dish or bowl for coating the crab cakes.
Prepare the spicy Sriracha mayonnaise by mixing all the ingredients together well in a small bowl, cover and set aside.
Scoop the crab mixture into eight mounds (about 1/3 cup) and shape into 8 patties about 1 1/2 inches thick. Dip each crab cake into the egg, then the breadcrumbs, rolling around to coat all sides. Place coated crab cakes on a baking sheet lined with foil or a separate plate.
Heat canola oil in a large skillet, add the crab cakes and cook over medium-high heat until crispy and golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side (cook in two batches). Drain off extra oil by placing crab cakes on a paper towel and turn off the heat.
Toast the bread slices in the KitchenAid® Pro Line® Series 4-Slice Automatic Toaster on the medium setting (3 or 4) until lightly golden brown, the bread will automatically rise up out of the toaster once finished to your setting. Press the “A Little Longer” button if you desire a darker toasted roll or bread.
Build the sandwiches by spreading the Sriracha sesame mayonnaise on both the bottom and top layer of the toast/roll. Place the tomato slices and lettuce on to the bottom layer of toast. Add crab cake, cooked bacon slices and coleslaw. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and garnish with some additional chopped cilantro if desired.
Serve with some spicy crab-seasoned or Sriracha-flavored potato chips on the side along with additional coleslaw and lemons, and a light summer ale or crisp Sauvignon Blanc or Rosé wine, if desired.
King Crab Bit Sandwiches
INGREDIENTS
Makes 8 servings
For crab cake filling:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups Japanese Panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 pound fresh jumbo lump crab meat
1 jalapeno or 2 small red chilies, seeds removed and finely sliced
1/2 cup red or yellow bell pepper, finely diced
4 scallions, trimmed and finely sliced
2 1/2 tablespoons chives, minced
Small handful cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon capers, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For crab cake coating:
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups Japanese Panko breadcrumbs
1 cup canola oil, for frying
For spicy Sriracha sesame mayo:
1 cup mayonnaise
4 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons Sriracha hot sauce
2 tablespoons Thai chile garlic sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1-2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1/2 tablespoon chives, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
For the sandwiches:
8 ciabatta or Kaiser rolls, toasted (can also use bread or a hard roll)
8 slices bacon, cooked
1-2 cups coleslaw, store bought or homemade
Baby arugula or butter lettuce, for garnish
4-5 medium Roma or 2 Beefsteak tomatoes, sliced
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped, for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
Fry eight slices of bacon until crispy, drain on paper towels and set aside. Prep and measure the ingredients for the crab cake filling.
For crab cake filling:
Whisk together the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, lemon and zest, and beaten egg in a small mixing bowl until smooth.
In another medium bowl, toss the crab meat with the Old Bay seasoning and breadcrumbs, and fold gently into the mayonnaise mixture until well combined, breaking up the lumps with your fingers. Add sliced chilies, red bell pepper, scallions, chives, cilantro, sea salt and pepper; mix together well. Cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for up to two hours.
For crab cake coating:
Once the crab cakes are ready to cook, beat the eggs in a small bowl and place the panko breadcrumbs in another small dish or bowl for coating the crab cakes.
Scoop the crab mixture into eight mounds (about 1/3 cup) and shape into 8 patties about 1 1/2 inches thick. Dip each crab cake into the egg, then the breadcrumbs, rolling around to coat all sides. Place coated crab cakes on a baking sheet lined with foil or a separate plate.
Heat canola oil in a large skillet, add the crab cakes and cook over medium-high heat until crispy and golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side (cook in two batches). Drain off extra oil by placing crab cakes on a paper towel and turn off the heat.
For spicy Sriracha sesame mayo:
Prepare the spicy Sriracha mayonnaise by mixing all the ingredients together well in a small bowl, cover and set aside.
For the sandwiches:
Toast the bread slices in the KitchenAid® Pro Line® Series 4-Slice Automatic Toaster on the medium setting (3 or 4) until lightly golden brown, the bread will automatically rise up out of the toaster once finished to your setting. Press the “A Little Longer” button if you desire a darker toasted roll or bread.
Build the sandwiches by spreading the Sriracha sesame mayonnaise on both the bottom and top layer of the toast/roll. Place the tomato slices and lettuce on to the bottom layer of toast. Add crab cake, cooked bacon slices and coleslaw. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and garnish with some additional chopped cilantro if desired.
Serve with some spicy crab-seasoned or Sriracha-flavored potato chips on the side, and a light summer ale or crisp white wine such as Pinot Grigio, if desired.
