The Baltimore Sun enlisted help from a handful of local chefs to re-create favorite menu items from beloved Baltimore establishments. This time, they added their own twists — substituting vinaigrette for mayonnaise, sous-viding rather than braising and adding garnishes for an extra pop.
Known for dishes like crab imperial and charbroiled steaks, the Chesapeake at 1701 N. Charles St. was a longtime staple in Baltimore, closing in the 1980s.
Loch Bar is one of the newest seafood houses on Baltimore's dining scene. The restaurant's crab imperial tartine, a modern take on traditional crab imperial, was received well by guests while it was on the menu. Instead of crab shells, chef Matthew Oetting serves the imperial mixture on slices of sourdough and garnishes it with "sexy scallions," jalapeno slices and red ribbon sorrel.
The original
Serves 12
1 green bell pepper, seeds removed, finely diced
1 piece canned pimento, finely diced
1 tablespoon dry English mustard
2 raw eggs
1 cup mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste (about 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon white pepper)
3 pounds deluxe backfin lump crab meat
Mayonnaise to taste
8 crab shells
Paprika
Combine bell pepper, pimento, dry English mustard, eggs, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper. Add crab meat and blend all the ingredients together by hand, so the lumps of crab meat are not broken. Divide the mixture among 8 crab shells, heaping it in lightly. Top with a light coating of mayonnaise and sprinkle with paprika. Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for approximately 15 minutes.
The traditional Baltimore accompaniments are creamy coleslaw, tomato slices, crisp lettuce and french fries.
Source: "My Favorite Maryland Recipes," by Avalynne (Mrs. Millard J.) Tawes
Loch Bar's crab imperial tartine
For the imperial mix:
1 egg
8 ounces mayonnaise
2 ounces cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Old Bay
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 ounce parsley
1/2 ounce minced jalapeno
1/2 ounce red bell pepper
1/2 ounce sliced scallion
In the food processor, combine all wet ingredients and pulse until well mixed. Pulse in the Old Bay, parsley, jalapeno, bell pepper and scallion.
For the finished dish:
2 ounces imperial mix
8 ounces jumbo lump crab meat
Salt and Old Bay to taste
2 slices of sourdough bread
2 ounces extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
6 thin slices of breakfast radish
1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallion greens
8 thin slices of jalapeno
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay
4 ounces spring greens
2 ounces white balsamic vinaigrette
Combine 2 ounces of imperial mix for every 8 ounces of jumbo lump crab meat. Season with salt and Old Bay.
Toast the sourdough bread after adding extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Top the sourdough with the crab imperial mixture and bake until golden brown. Garnish the tartine with the radish, scallion and jalapeno. Sprinkle Old Bay on top. Finish the plate with spring greens dressed with white balsamic vinaigrette.
Source: Matthew Oetting, Loch Bar