Amy's Blog

We’ve all had those nights. You get home after a long day and you are just wiped out and have no idea what to make for dinner. When you need to pull dinner out of a hat, I’ve got the recipe. Sometimes there’s nothing better than a toasty hot sandwich for dinner. Keep a can of crab meat in your pantry and I’ll bet you’ve got everything else in your kitchen to make my Crab Melt Sandwiches.

These open face sandwiches make a really delicious dinner. They are also a great way to serve seafood on a budget. They are perfect for Lent when a lot of us don’t eat meat on Fridays. They are also perfect served for brunch or lunch. You can even slice them up into into wedges like a pizza before baking and serve them as appetizers. They will be a hit no matter how you serve them!

I mentioned keeping canned crab on hand. These days it’s so important to keep a stocked pantry. When it comes to spices you’ll always find Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning in my kitchen. It’s full of flavor, but don’t worry because it’s not spicy! I’m teaming up with Tony Chachere’s to help get the word out about how this Creole seasoning needs to be a pantry staple in your kitchen too. It’s my go-to when I need to kick up the flavor in a lot of my recipes, especially when I’m making anything with crab, shrimp or seafood. It’s great on just about everything from scrambled eggs to chicken and even meatloaf!

Okay, throw on your apron and let’s get cookin’! Here’s how to make these yummy sandwiches. By the way, you can click Crab Melts for my complete and printable recipe.

First preheat your broiler. Split two English muffins in half. Don’t have English muffins? No big deal. Any kind of crusty bread will work. You just need 4 slices because these are open faced sandwiches.

Now, time to get chopping. Finely dice about 1/4 cup of celery and 3 tablespoons of green onions. I like to use green onions because they are little more mild and won’t overpower the crabmeat. If all you have is yellow or white onion just dice it up finely and use a teaspoon or two.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of real mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning. Mix in celery and about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the green onions. Save the rest of the green onions to garnish the top.

Open one 6 ounce can of crab meat. Drain it really well and make sure to remove that piece of white paper normally in the can. You can also use about 1 cup of fresh crab meat or 1 cup chopped or flaked artificial crab meat. Gently fold the the crab into the mayo mixture, being careful to not over mix it.

I normally line my baking sheet with foil to make cleanup easy breezy. Place the English muffin halves on the lined baking sheet and lightly toast for just a minute or so under the broiler.

Take them out of the oven and top each muffin half evenly with the crab mixture.

Next, slice up a ripe tomato. You’ll need 4 slices. Top each muffin half with a slice of tomato. Then, sprinkle a couple tablespoons of shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Pop the baking sheet back under the broiler for another couple minutes. Keep a close watch. You just want the muffins and crab mixture to be warm and toasty and the cheese to melt.

Pull them out of the oven. Sprinkle the remaining chopped green onions over the top.

I serve these open face right out of the oven. They are great with potato chips, or a cup of soup or salad on the side. They are just so yummy! Feels like something you would get out to eat at a little bistro! Super easy too!

If you want to make these ahead, you can make the filling a day ahead. Cover and refrigerate it. Then top your muffins and bake it when you are ready. Remember that Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning is a quick way to add that special snap to lots of recipes! Click Crab Melts for my complete and printable recipe. Enjoy!

Makes: 4 open face sandwiches
Serves: 2 to 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 3 to 5 minutes