Makes: 5 sandwiches, or 20 appetizer-size wedges

Use all the best ingredients here: I like imported French or Irish butter for griddle-toasting the sandwiches. I also like to serve these as open-face sandwiches.

1 pound peeled, deveined, raw large shrimp, 20 to 25 to a pound

1/2 cup organic mayonnaise

4 small green onions, trimmed, very thinly sliced, about 1/2 cup

1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried

1/2 teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

12 ounces cooked langoustine tails (thawed and drained), or roughly chopped steamed lobster

1 can (about 6 ounces) lump crab meat, drained

10 slices (each 3/4 inch thick) French brioche bread (or challah, Pullman loaf or egg twist bread)

4 tablespoons butter, softened

Fresh dill for garnish

1. Fill a medium saucepan half full with water and heat to boil over high heat. Add shrimp, stir and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring once or twice, until shrimp are pink but not firm, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain. Let cool.

2. Mix mayonnaise, green onions, dill, thyme, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add cooled shrimp, langoustine tails and drained crab meat. Gently mix everything together.

3. Spread softened butter over one side of each slice of bread.

4. Heat a large nonstick griddle over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles furiously. Reduce heat under griddle to very low. Add 4 slices of the bread, buttered side up, leaving space between slices. Cook on low until bread starts to turn golden, about 1 minute. Flip bread so it is buttered side down and cook until golden, about 1 minute.

5. Top half of the bread slices with about 1 cup of the seafood mixture spreading it evenly over the bread. Flip another piece of bread on top with the buttered side up to make a sandwich. Let sit on the griddle another minute to crisp the bread to a beautiful brown. Then transfer to a cutting board. Repeat to make all sandwiches.

6. Serve sandwiches cut on the diagonal into 4 pieces. Secure with wooden picks if desired. Arrange on a platter and garnish with chopped fresh dill and dill sprigs. Serve.

CapMel Staff
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