There’s no shortage of local places to grab a crab dish in Baltimore. Word on the street is that Koco’s Pub and Phillips Seafood have some of the best crab cakes in town.
But what if these local favorites aren’t open? Fear not, for here are three Maryland-style sandwiches you can cook up with your own two hands, in order from easiest to most difficult. And don’t worry if you’re not a five-star chef: the first sandwich only asks for two ingredients and doesn’t require you to turn on a stove.
Maryland-Style Crab Dip on Croissant
Ingredients
● 4 tablespoons Inland Market Maryland-Style Crab Dip (or any brand)
● A butter croissant
This recipe is super simple, only requiring a croissant, a dab of your favorite Maryland-style crab dip and a knife to spread. When you’re on the go or too tired to cook, just spread the crab dip onto the sliced croissant to your liking and you’re done!
If you have more time on your hands, make your own crab dip by combining premium cream cheese, Maryland seasonings, sharp cheddar cheese and mayonnaise.
Maryland Crab Cake Sandwich
Ingredients
● 1 lb jumbo lump crab meat
● 1 large egg
● ¼ cup mayonnaise
● 1 ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
● 1 ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
● 1 teaspoon lemon juice
● ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
● ¼ teaspoon of salt
● ½ cup fine breadcrumbs made from white bread
● 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
● Oil and butter for frying
Drain crab meat, put in a bowl and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg, mayo, mustard, Old Bay, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and salt.
Gently stir in crab meat and breadcrumbs and mix with hands lightly without breaking up the lumps to form a somewhat wet mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Once chilled, shape the mixture into rounded mounds in whatever size you desire. In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil to 425 F. Fry the crab cakes a few at a time in the hot oil for two to three minutes until they’re warm inside and slightly crunchy on the outside. Then remove from the skillet and lay on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve on rolls with lettuce, tomato and sauce: remoulade, tartar sauce, hot sauce, cocktail sauce, horseradish sauce or more mayo.
Recipe courtesy of Welcome Home.
Maryland-Style Old Bay Pit Beef Sandwich
After an hour of prep time and just over an hour of cook time, you’ll have 12 to 14 sandwiches for a backyard barbeque or family dinner.
Ingredients
● 2 teaspoons salt
● ½ teaspoon black pepper
● 1 teaspoon garlic powder
● 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
● 1 teaspoon dried oregano
● ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
● 4-6 lb. top round beef roast
● 2-3 onions sliced very thinly
● Rolls
● Horseradish sauce
In a small bowl, mix the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, dried oregano and cayenne pepper.
Rub the beef with the spice mixture and let it absorb the spices for about 30 to 45 minutes.
To prepare a Maryland style “pit” beef, you’ll use a charcoal grill, and you’ll want to prepare a high heat side and a low heat side. Most of the charcoal needs to be under one half of the grill, leaving the other side available for grilling with indirect heat. Start off the roast on the hot side of the grill and sear all sides for 3 to 4 minutes each.
After you’ve seared all the sides, move the roast to the other side of the grill (for low/indirect heat) and close the lid.
Continue to cook the beef, turning once or twice, until the internal temperature reaches 140 F. This should give you a medium doneness. If you prefer well-done or medium-rare, adjust accordingly.
Remove from the heat and let the beef rest for about 20 minutes before you slice it very thinly.
Serve the slices of beef on the rolls along with horseradish and onions.
Recipe courtesy of Samantha Johnson via Food Lion.
