Open Face Crab Melt

This crab melt is a delicious open faced sandwich made with blue crab meat, artichokes, tomato slices, Parmesan cheese, and topped with melty cheese on your favorite bread.

Tuna melts are a typical favorite sandwich – the adult version of the tuna salad sandwich, really- kind of like a Tuna Patties recipe and Salmon Croquettes, but this one is near and dear to my Maryland heart- it’s made with crab!

I also realized I really like open faced sandwiches. I’m not much for getting my fingers dirty. I’m that person who takes a fork and knife to chicken wings and BBQ ribs (and my husband yells at me that I am doing it wrong).

Why You’ll Love This Crab Melt Recipe

Tired of the same ho-hum sandwich recipes for lunch? Here are a few reasons you will love this one.

• Elevated sandwich recipe – This has become one of my go-to sandwich recipes for proving that sandwiches don’t just belong in a packed lunch. An elevated tuna melt, if you will, but also kind of a crab cake/crab balls.
• Two types of cheese – Two types of cheese make it extra creamy and cheesy and the thick slice of sourdough bread is strong enough to hold it all together.
• Easily found ingredients – Canned lump crab meat can be found in most stores and makes the sandwich recipe easy but if you can get your hands on some fresh crab meat, even better! Harder to find but even better, is unpasteurized crab meat, which is sweeter.

Crab Melt Ingredients

You will easily be able to find all of these ingredients at your local grocery store.

• Parmesan cheese – Freshly grated is highly preferred for this recipe. You may not get the same results with pre-shredded cheese.
• Mayonnaise – You can use your favorite store bought brand, or get really fancy and make your own homemade mayonnaise.
• White onion – I like the milder flavor of white onion. You will want to make sure it is finely chopped.
• Lump crab meat – Large, lumps of meat, the beauty is the large pieces used for crab meat cocktails or delicious to pop in your mouth plain, very tasty and moist.
• Artichokes – You can find these in a can. Make sure they are drained and chopped. They take this sandwich up a notch in both flavor and texture.
• Parsley – Fresh parsley is a great way to add both color and fresh flavor to this crab melt recipe.
• Seasonings – I used a simple blend of fine sea salt, ground white pepper and a dash of smoked paprika.
• Bread – The key to any good melt-type sandwich is the bread. Thick sliced bread gets nice and crispy without getting soggy.
• Tomatoes – You can certainly leave these off if you aren’t a fan, but they add both texture and flavor to this sandwich.
• Cheese – Monterey Jack or Swiss cheese is what I prefer to use, but you can also use cheddar cheese if you’d like.

Variations

There are plenty of ways you can make this crab melt recipe your own. Here are a few ideas.

• Fresh herbs – Fold in things like chives, fresh dill or even green onions to elevate the flavor of your sandwich.
• Bread – I like using sourdough bread here, but feel free to experiment. It would even be good with split english muffins.
• Flavor – To add a kick, sprinkle a little hot sauce into the mix. You could even season it with some old bay seasoning because it pairs perfectly with crab.

Types of Crab Meat

If you aren’t familiar with blue crab, here is a quick run down on the different types.

• Claw– dark meat that comes from the claw, a little more stringy than other varieties.
• Special– smaller pieces, comes from small little crevices or the “special” sections of the crab, good for flavoring and dips.
• Backfin– some larger lumps coming from, you guessed it, the back of the shell, whiter meat, does well in crab cakes, feathery texture.
• Jumbo lump– large, lumps of meat, the beauty is the large pieces used for crab meat cocktails or delicious to pop in your mouth plain, very tasty and moist.

How to Make a Crab Melt

You are going to love how easy it is to make this delicious, melty open face crab sandwich.

1. Prepare oven and pan. Preheat oven and coat a 9×9 baking dish (or similar size) with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Make crab mixture. Combine Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, chopped onion, lump crab meat, chopped artichokes, parsley, fine sea salt, white pepper and smoked paprika in a medium bowl. Toss to combine being carful to not break apart crab pieces.
3. Bake. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Bake until starting to lightly brown.
4. Broil sourdough. Place sourdough bread slices on a rimmed baking sheet. Place under high broil until they brown lightly. Remove.
5. Add crab and toppings to bread. Evenly spoon hot crab mixture over each slice of bread, tomato and slices of Monterey Jack cheese.
6. Broil again. Place back under the broiler until cheese melts, but watch closely considering that broilers vary greatly.

What to Serve with a Crab Melt Sandwich

Crab Melts are definitely a restaurant-quality sandwich recipe and should be served warm, while the cheese is toasted and melty.

Serve with a side of veggies or a salad. In cooler months, I also like to eat this crab melt with a cup of soup. Tomato bisque or keeping it in the vein of Maryland, a crab and sausage soup, are great choices!

Storage and Freezing

How to Store Leftover Crab Melt

This sandwich doesn’t hold up very well for leftovers. You can, however, prep the crab imperial ahead of time and store in in an airtight container for up to 24 hours.

Can I Freeze a Crab Melt?

I do not recommend freezing this open faced crab melt sandwich. Upon thawing, the bread will become soggy- and no one likes soggy bread!

Frequently Asked Questions

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Open Face Crab Melt

4.10 from 61 votes

This Crab Melt will become your favorite open faced sandwich recipe! Deliciously cheesy and easy to make! 

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Total Time: 45 minutes mins

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Servings: 4

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Equipment

• Rimmed Baking Sheet
• 2 quart casserole dish

Ingredients

• 2 cups Parmesan cheese , finely grated*
• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup white onion , finely chopped
• 12 ounces lump crab meat**
• 13 ounces artichokes , drained and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup flat parsley , chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• Dash smoked paprika
• 8 slices thick cut bread
• 2 large tomatoes , cut into 16 slices
• 16 slices Monterey Jack or Swiss cheese
• Cooking spray

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9×9 baking dish (or similar size) with cooking spray. Set aside.
• Combine Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, chopped onion, lump crab meat, chopped artichokes, parsley, fine sea salt, white pepper and smoked paprika in a medium bowl. Toss to combine being carful to not break apart crab pieces.
• Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes, or until starting to lightly brown.
• Place sourdough bread slices on a rimmed baking sheet. Place under high broil about 4 inches from the heating mechanism for 3-4 minutes or until they brown lightly. Remove.
• Evenly spoon hot crab mixture over each slice of bread, 2 slices of tomato and 2 slices of Monterey Jack cheese.
• Place back under the broiler until cheese melts, approximately 2 minutes, but watch closely considering that broilers vary greatly.
• Serve open face and hot.
• If you’ve tried this recipe, please come back and let us know how it was! 

Notes

*Freshly grated is highly preferred for this recipe. You may not get the same results with pre-shredded cheese. **Use blue crab meat. You can also use backfin or claw meat.

Nutrition

Calories: 1695 kcal, Carbohydrates: 90 g, Protein: 80 g, Fat: 112 g, Saturated Fat: 40 g, Cholesterol: 204 mg, Sodium: 3688 mg, Potassium: 1059 mg, Fiber: 9 g, Sugar: 9 g, Vitamin A: 2470 IU, Vitamin C: 37.5 mg, Calcium: 1593 mg, Iron: 8.4 mg

Author: Chef Jessica Formicola

Calories: 1695

Course: Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crab melt, open face sandwich

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