Recipes Sandwiches + Wraps Melts Brioche Crab Melts 5.0 (1,676) 2 Reviews Vitaly Paley, the chef and owner of Paley's Place, created this deliciously indulgent version of the classic tuna melt while competing in a cook-off sponsored by the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission. Pairing moist chunks of crab with brioche, truffle butter and nutty Gruyère cheese easily snagged him a first-place prize. More Recipes With Crab By Vitaly Paley Vitaly Paley Instagram Chef and restaurateur Vitaly Paley is one of the most innovative chefs in the American culinary scene. The Russian-born, New York City-raised and French-trained chef has won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Pacific Northwest and won Iron Chef America on Food Network. His New York City restaurant experience includes Union Square Café and Chanterelle. After leaving New York City in 1994, Vitaly and Kimberly Paley set their sights on Portland. As part of Vitaly's 2012 opening of Imperial in downtown Portland, he created his popular Russian pop-up dinner series, DaNet, celebrating his childhood food. Vitaly and Kimberly opened Headwaters inside the historic Heathman Hotel in October 2016. The restaurant specializes in sustainable seafood, and they also host weekly Russian tea parties. In 2017, Vitaly opened The Crown, a New York-style pizza bar inspired by his love of the city. Chef Paley most recently opened Rosa Rosa, his fifth restaurant, in the Dossier building in downtown Portland. A tribute to the City of Roses and named after Paley's grandmother Rosa, Rosa Rosa takes inspiration from the rich culinary traditions born across the Caucasus Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 23, 2019 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Rob Howard Total Time: 30 mins Yield: 8 Ingredients 8 small, round brioche or buttery dinner rolls, split crosswise 6 tablespoons truffle butter or unsalted butter, softened (see Note) 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup minced red onion 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1/2 Granny Smith apple—quartered lengthwise, cored and thinly sliced crosswise Several dashes of hot sauce Salt and freshly ground pepper 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over 1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese Directions Preheat the broiler. Spread the cut sides of the brioche with the truffle butter and set on a baking sheet, cut sides up. Broil the rolls 6 inches from the heat, until toasted. Reduce the oven temperature to 400°. In a large bowl, mix the mayonnaise, red onion, parsley, lime juice, apple and hot sauce and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the crabmeat. Set the top halves of the rolls aside. Top the bottoms with the crab salad and sprinkle with the Gruyère. Bake in the upper third of the oven until the cheese is melted. Close the crab melts and serve. Make Ahead The crab salad can be refrigerated overnight. Notes White and black truffle butters are available through Urbani Truffles at urbanitrufflesonline.com. Rate it Print