Donna's Open Faced Croque Monsieur with Spicy Crab Salad

Hi Everyone, as you know, I am still on a mission to clean out my pantry and freezer which resulted in this French grilled cheese sandwich topped with one of my favorite lunch stand-bys, my Spicy Crab Salad.  You may want to grill them with 2 slices of bread instead of my open faced option but I was able to stack on the salad nicely while doing these as open faced sandwiches.  Substituting mayonnaise for butter as the spread makes the bread crispier and darker and just as delicious!  Enjoy, Donna:

Donna's Open Faced Croque Monsieur with Spicy Crab Salad

Ingredients:

½ cup mayonnaise in two ¼ cup portions

1 pound crab pieces (or imitation crabmeat)

1 celery stick, finely chopped

½ red or green bell pepper, finely chopped

¾ teaspoon Emeril’s Essence spice mix

4 slices gluten free bread

4 small slices Gruyere cheese

2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

Method:

Mix the first ¼ cup portion of mayonnaise with all ingredients except bread and cheeses.  Set aside.  (Note:  Any extra salad may be served separately in lettuce leaves, if desired).

Spread each side of bread slices with remaining ¼ cup mayonnaise.  Heat frying pan to medium-high and add bread, turning to brown each side.  Top each bread slice with crab salad, then cheeses.  If melted cheese is desired, place lid on pan and heat a few minutes (or run under the broiler or microwave); otherwise, remove from pan, sprinkle with additional spice and serve immediately.

Serves 2 – 4.

Copyright 2015.