Sweet and tender Dungeness crab meat (or Blue crab) combined with red bell pepper, onions and dill and coated with crispy panko. Pan fried and served on top of a toasty piece of sourdough bread with red leaf lettuce and a dollop of tangy tzatziki. A perfect and easy light summer meal.
Confession…this crab cake open-faced sandwich has been on my “I really want to make this” list for some time. Now that the weather is getting warmer (hello, we just had the warmest May on record for Seattle EVER!) and I’m thinking of dining outside under the stars (o.k. that’s an exaggeration…it stays light out until almost 10 pm now so unless I’m planning on eating at midnight there won’t be any stars) but you get what I mean. The warm air, that gorgeous golden hue that blesses the sky, a patio table, perfectly chilled wine..and a light summer dinner served al fresco.
Enter the crab cake open-faced sandwich! Perfect for my above scenario. FINALLY! I’m going to check this one off my list.
I’m a little picky (o.k maybe REALLY picky) about where I buy my seafood. Luckily, here in Seattle there are so many places to buy FRESH seafood. We happen to have the famous Pike Place Market right here. While many might think it’s just a tourist trap ( yes, the Fish mongers really do send whole salmon whizzing through the air) it’s also one of the best places to find super fresh seafood.
Yep, us locals love Pike Place Market as much as the tourists, but we just know when to go to avoid the crowds. Never go when a cruise ship is in port, get there early any day (some of the fish stands and produce stands open before the official market opening so you can get in and out quickly) or my personal favorite …Sunday morning. Parking around the market is free on Sunday , you can zip into Starbucks (the original first Starbucks) for a coffee and into Le Panier for a legendary croissant! Even if I’m not getting a croissant I ALWAYS stick my head in the door just to inhale the aroma…ahhh! Fresh French pastries!
Dungeness crab is the type of crab most available here on the West Coast. Don’t let this picture fool you…I took the easy route and got the Dungeness crab MEAT…of course if you are adventurous you could buy the whole crab and crack it yourself. Sub whatever crab meat is available where you are.
Why oh why did I wait so long to make this? It was SO easy! You literally just have to chop up some red bell pepper, green onions and dill and mix together with a bit of Greek yogurt, panko, lemon juice and an egg white. Shape into a thick patty and roll in more panko. Cook in a big skillet on the stove-top for about 3 min/each side. Toast up some sourdough bread…and voila!
Time for an outdoor summer time feast!
- 6 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt, reduced (2%) fat
- 3 Tbsp finely chopped English cucumber
- 2 tsp minced fresh garlic
- ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper, divided
- ⅔ cup Panko crumbs, divided
- ¼ cup finely diced red bell pepper
- 2 Tbsp sliced green onions
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
- 1 tsp grated lemon rind
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 egg white
- 12 oz. Dungeness crabmeat (or lump/blue crabmeat) shell pieces removed
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 (1½ -ounce) slices sourdough bread, toasted (slice sourdough baguette works perfectly)
- 4 red leaf lettuce leaves (or your favorite variety)
- In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup yogurt, cucumber, garlic and ¼ tsp pepper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine remaining 2 Tbsp yogurt, remaining ¼ tsp black pepper, ⅓ cup panko, red bell pepper, onions, dill, lemon rind, lemon juice, salt and egg white. Add crab and gently stir. Divide crab mixture into 4 equal portions(approx. ½ cup each). Shape each portion into a patty (approx. ¾-inch thick). In a separate shallow dish, place the remaining ⅓ cup panko. Dredge each patty in panko.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add oil and swirl to coat. Place patties in skillet and cook until golden (approx. 3 minutes on each side). Top each piece of toasted sourdough with 1 leaf lettuce, one crab cake patty and about 2 Tbsp yogurt mixture.
- recipe from Cooking Light (Open -faced crab cake sandwiches with tzatziki)
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