Open-Faced Crab Sandwich

Here’s the curveball in this recipe: the cream cheese gets softened with ginger ale. It sounds odd, but the carbonation lightens the texture and adds a faint sweetness that pairs surprisingly well with crab.

The filling is simple. Cream cheese, canned crab meat, grated onion, and a splash of Worcestershire sauce mixed together. It spreads thick onto split English muffins, then gets topped with a tomato slice and a generous slab of cheddar before a quick trip to the oven.

Ten minutes is all you need. The crab mixture heats through, the tomato softens, and the cheddar melts into a golden blanket over everything. These are best served immediately while the muffin is still crisp on the bottom and the cheese is bubbly.

Chef Tips

• Drain the canned crab well and pick through it for any shell fragments before mixing
• Grate the onion on the fine side of a box grater so it disappears into the cream cheese without adding crunch
• Don’t skip the Worcestershire. It adds a savory depth that keeps the filling from tasting one-note
• Toast the muffin halves lightly before spreading the crab mixture so they stay crisp under the wet topping

Variations

• Use sharp cheddar instead of medium for a stronger cheese flavor against the mild crab
• Swap English muffins for sourdough rounds or thick-cut bread
• Add a few dashes of hot sauce to the crab mixture for a spicy kick