Lump Crab Roll
Life is good when I get to indulge in some fresh crab in the comfort of home. This lump crab roll is just like lobster roll, but made with crab instead of lobster. Lump crab roll is easier than making lobster roll, as the crabmeat I bought was already cooked and ready to use. Crabmeat (even the more expensive lump crab cut) is still more affordable than lobster. Best of all, this is a really easy recipe that can be made in 20 minutes.
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LUMP CRAB
This is the brand of pasteurised cooked lump crab (Sea Munch) used for this recipe. It was also the crabmeat I used in my previous lump crab avocado salad recipe. For this recipe, I recommend using lump crab as it will be nice to see some small chunks of crabmeat in the bun. However, it is fine to use any cut of cooked crab meat, even the flaky type.
REST OF THE INGREDIENTS
Other than the crabmeat, here are the rest of the ingredients. On the plate: celery, shallots & spring onions. Usually in a roll, chives are used, but they are more expensive & not available daily here, so I substituted with local spring onions (the green part). There are also lemon, mayonnaise, romaine lettuce, and wholemeal hotdog buns.
STEP-BY-STEP PHOTOS
I used a small amount of ingredients for taking the step-by-step photos, as I had some leftover lump crab salad in the fridge. So the amount of crab salad you see is slightly lesser than that needed to fill a bun.
In a mixing bowl, add celery, shallots and spring onions (or chives). Grate some lemon zest.
Add olive oil, mayonnaise & a squeeze of lemon juice.
Add lump crab meat and stir to mix well, taking care not to not flake the crabmeat. Keeping the lump crab intact will make this roll look & taste more premium :p
ASSEMBLE THE CRAB ROLL
Make a lengthwise slit in the top of a hotdog bun without cutting all the way through.
Toast the bun. Grease a pan with a few drops of oil. Then on medium low heat, toast the bread on the bottom and the two long sides until lightly toasted. This will make the toasted sides crisp on the outside while the bun remains soft and fluffy on the inside.
For more flavour, spread some butter in the cavity of the bun.
Line the bun cavity with one whole romaine lettuce leaf. Then scoop generous amounts of seasoned crabmeat to fill the bun. You can garnish with a bit more lemon zest and spring onions (chives) if you wish. If you have any leftover lump crab salad, you can serve them on top of a lettuce leaf.
I enjoyed my crab roll with a glass of dry white wine. Life is good. Cooking & eating at home is getting more enjoyable for me these days :)
Lump Crab Roll Recipe
I recommend using lump crab as it will be nice to see some small chunks of crabmeat in the bun. However, it is fine to use any cut of cooked crab meat, even the flaky type.
Check out the ingredients & step-by-step photos on the previous page.
Ingredients:
- 2 hotdog buns
- spreadable butter
- 2 whole romaine leaves
(A) Lump Crab Salad
- 150g quality cooked lump crab meat see cooking note below
- 2 tbsp minced celery
- 2 tbsp thinly slice shallot
- 4 tbsp chopped spring onions use the green portion
- 3 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise use kewpie half-calorie for lower carb
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/8 tsp lemon zest
- 3/4 tsp lemon juice to taste
- small pinch salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Directions:
- Make lump crab salad. Add all the ingredients (A) in a bowl and mix well, taking care to keep the lump crab pieces intact. Season to taste. You can serve this salad at room temperature or chilled.
- Prepare & toast the hot dog buns. Carefully make a slit in the middle of each hotdog bun for the crab filling later. Grease a frying pan with a few drops of oil. Toast the hotdog buns on the bottom and the two sides (lengthwise) until lightly toasted.
- To assemble the lump crab roll, spread butter in the cavity of each bun, then line with a whole romaine lettuce leaf. Stuff each bun with generous scoops of lump crab salad.
- To serve, garnish with a bit more spring onions and serve with a lemon wedge. You can serve leftover crab salad, if any, on a romaine lettuce leaf or a halved avocado.
Cooking Note(s):
- This is the lump crabmeat I am using for this recipe. It is already cooked and packed in the pasteurised form. You can use any favourite brand of crabmeat – it should also be of the best quality (fresh, clean, not fishy) so that it can carry this dish well.
- For lower calorie, I’m using half-calorie kewpie Japanese mayonnaise. You can also reduce the mayonnaise used to 2 tbsp.
- Typically, a crab or lobster roll uses chives which is not available daily where I stay, so I substituted the chives with the green portion of our local spring onions.
- If you don’t have spreadable butter, melt some butter together with some olive oil in a pan.