Crab and Hazelnut Salad Sandwiches

Cider food pairings crab

Our crisp dry Tieton Blend Cider has always paired well with seafood. This easy to prepare crab sandwich served on pretzel bread is the perfect pairing for this cider. Everyone loves crab and making a sandwich with it is such a treat. The salt from the bread marries with the tang of lemon dressing and tarragon; then the velvety softness of the avocado hits your mouth. Yum.

Yield: 4 sandwiches
8 ounces lump crabmeat, picked over (preferably Dungeness)
2 tablespoons finely diced celery
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
3 tablespoons chopped tarragon
1/4 cup chopped roasted hazelnuts
3 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil2 tablespoons crème fraiche
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced and seasoned with salt and a few squeezes of lemon juice8-12 leaves butter lettuce, rinsed and dried
4 pretzel buns

Combine the crab, celery, onion, tarragon, hazelnuts, lemon juice, olive oil and crème fraiche in a large bowl. Add a generous pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper and gently stir to combine. Taste and add more salt, pepper or lemon juice as desired.

To assemble the sandwich, garnish the buns with the butter lettuce. Place a generous scoop of the crab salad on top of the lettuce and top with the seasoned avocado.