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A fun twist on a classic sandwich

This Crab Club Sandwich retains a few of the classic components of a traditional club sandwich, including the triple stack of lightly toasted bread, green lettuce, juicy tomato, and crisp bacon -- but swaps the classic chicken for a measure of crab meat in a creamy and lightly spicy mayo and a layer of fresh cucumber ribbons. This fun twist on the classic club is a hearty option for lunch or dinner!

a side view of crab club sandwiches resting on a marble cutting board on a wooden table

two sandwiches resting on a marble and wood cutting board on a green cloth

What kind of crab meat should I use?

I want this Crab Club Sandwich to be super easy to assemble, so I opt for fresh pre-cooked lump crabmeat, which is generally easily accessible at the seafood counter or the refrigerated section of most grocery stores. If you are unable to source fresh pre-cooked crabmeat where you live, you can use pre-cooked canned crab meat instead.

Let's talk about the spicy mayo for a moment

I like to use a 3:1 mayo to sriracha ratio for the spicy mayo on this Spicy Crab Club Sandwich, which adds a light kick of spice to the mayo without dominating the flavor. If you prefer a spicier mayo, feel free to add additional sriracha to taste. If you are adamant about a mild sandwich, feel free to leave the sriracha out in place of an additional measure of mayo and a pinch of salt instead (keep the lemon juice as-is for both options).

What are cucumber ribbons?

Cucumber ribbons are simply cucumbers that have been sliced into thin "ribbons" with a vegetable peeler. The best way I've found to do this is to peel the cucumber while it's laying on a flat surface, carefully dragging the vegetable peeler along the length of it to slice ribbons. I find that the best (most intact) ribbons are those in the first several outer layers of the cucumber. Once you reach the seeded area it's harder to retain intact ribbons, so I generally turn the cucumber and repeat on the opposite side. You will need approximately 16 ribbons to make 4 sandwiches, so you will have plenty of cucumber leftover to enjoy on the side of your sandwiches.

Do I need to triple stack my bread?

Nope! If you prefer to make a traditional sandwich with two slices of bread, feel free to leave the middle slice out. I prefer a lightly toasted sourdough bread for this Crab Club Sandwich, but if you prefer the classic white bread or another option, feel free to swap it out with your favorite. You can also utilize gluten-free bread if needed.

two crab club sandwiches resting on a marble and wood cutting board on a green cloth on a wooden surface

a side view of the inside of a crab club sandwich resting on its side

WHAT TOOLS DO I NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE?

A cutting board
A chef’s knife - OR - tomato knife
A vegetable peeler
A kitchen scale (or measuring cups for less precise measurements)
Measuring spoons
A medium mixing bowl
A citrus juicer (optional, but nice to have)
A fork
A butter knife

Are you looking to upgrade to your cooking tools or replenish your pantry? Check out my kitchen tools shop page and pantry staples shop page to find my must-have kitchen tools, pantry items, and other Whip & Wander favorites.

a pile of crab club sandwiches on a cutting board

crab club sandwiches cut in half on a cutting board

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Love this Crab Club Sandwich recipe? Here are some additional dishes that you might enjoy!

A note for special diets

This Crab Club Sandwich is dairy-free and can be made friendly for gluten-free diets by utilizing gluten-free bread.

Crab Club Sandwich

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Author: Whip & Wander
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 12 minutes
Yield: 4 sandwiches 1x
Category: Mains
Cuisine: American

Print Recipe

Description

Ingredients

Scale

12 slices sourdough bread (or your preferred bread -- gluten-free if needed), lightly toasted
8 oz pre-cooked fresh lump crab meat
3 tbsp mayo + more to spread on the bread (as desired)
1 tbsp sriracha
1 tsp lemon juice
cracked black pepper, to taste
1 English cucumber, sliced into ribbons with a vegetable peeler (you will need 16 ribbons so you will have leftover cucumber)
12 slices bacon, pre-cooked using your preferred method
7-8 small fresh slicer tomatoes (I used Campari), sliced
4 outer pieces of green lettuce

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Instructions

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the crab meat, 3 tablespoon mayo, sriracha, lemon juice, and a few cracks of black pepper, to taste.
Spread mayo (as desired) onto 4 slices of toasted bread.
Portion the dressed crab meat equally on top of those same bread slices you just dressed in mayo.
Layer 4 cucumber ribbons on top of the 4 crab meat-dressed slices of bread. Layer a second slice of toasted bread on top of each of the sandwiches (this will be your middle bread layer).
Portion 3 slices of bacon on top of each of the sandwiches, then layer the tomato and lettuce on top of the bacon.
Spread mayo (as desired) onto the remaining 4 slices of bread and place them on top of the lettuce-topped sandwiches.
Slice each sandwich into halves or fourths, as preferred. I find that stacked sandwiches like this benefit from a sandwich skewer to help hold each layer together when plating (to be discarded when the sandwich is eaten).

Notes

Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 sandwich
Calories: 673
Sugar: 6 g
Sodium: 1380 mg
Fat: 26 g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Carbohydrates: 71 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 29 g
Cholesterol: 104 mg