Maryland Burgers with Blue Crab Spread and Grilled Corn Salsa

Pairs well with:

Pinot Grigio

You won’t need a bouquet of flowers when you share our Pinot Grigio. This crisp wine with floral aromas is a wonderful way to make an entrance.

After a large Maryland Blue Crab feast, many Marylanders are perplexed on what to do with the leftover crab.Many will make soup or crab cakes, but creating this burger will offer another solution. The Blue Crab Spread melts in your mouth when smeared on the toasted potato roll, with the warm Old Bay Patty placed between. The Grilled Corn Salsa compliments the Patty and Spread with fresh ingredients that can be picked up from any local Maryland roadside stand, grown from our fertile soil.

Ingredients:

2 LBS. Ground Chuck Beef
1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Sweet Onion
1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Garlic
2 Tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning (extra to season tops and bottoms of patties)
2 Teaspoons Fresh Ground Black Pepper (extra to season tops and bottoms of patties)
2 Teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
Blue Crab Spread (Recipe Follows)
Grilled Corn Salsa (Recipe Follows)
6 Potato Rolls
12 Thin Slices of White Cheddar Cheese

Instructions:

Preheat grill to medium-high. Combine Beef, Sweet Onion, Garlic, Old Bay Seasoning, Black Pepper, and Worcestershire Sauce in a large metal bowl. Separate into 6 equal parts. Shape into 3/4-1 inch thick patties. Season tops and bottoms of each patty with 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning. Allow to patties rest for at least 20 minutes (make Blue Crab Spread and Grilled Corn Salsa at this time.) Place patties on grill for 3-5 minutes on each side (for medium doneness), and toast open Potato Rolls on grill for 1-3 minutes then remove. With about 1-2 minutes left to go on the patties, place 2 slices on White Cheddar Cheese on each burger and close lid to allow the cheese to be melted when burger is finished cooking. Smear Blue Crab Spread on tops and bottoms on the toasted buns. Place patties on bottom of buns, and add about 1/4 cup on Grilled Corn Salsa on top on burger. Place top on burger, trying not to knock off the Salsa, and Serve.

Grilled Corn Salsa
1/2 Cup Red Onion, Diced 1/4 inch
1/2 Cup Claussen Dill Pickles, Diced 1/4 inch
1/2 Cup Grilled Sweet Corn
1/2 Cup Roma Tomatoes, Diced 1/4 inch
2 Teaspoons Chopped Fresh Dill
1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
Take 2 ears of Sweet Corn, and pull back husk without removing it. Remove the inner threads, and pull husk back over corn cob. Soak ears of corn in water for 10 minutes. Place on the grill for 12-15 minutes. Dice Onions, Pickles, Tomatoes, and Dill. Remove corn from the grill, then remove the husk from the cob. Cut off the corn from the cob without going too deep. Mix Onions, Pickles, Tomatoes, Dill, Salt, Fresh Ground Black Pepper, with 1/2 Cup of the Grilled Corn. Set aside.

Blue Crab Spread
8 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese
2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
8 oz Fresh Maryland Blue Crab
2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Dill
1/2 Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
Allow Cream Cheese to come to room temperature. Combine Cream Cheese, Mayonnaise, Old Bay Seasoning, Dill, and Lemon Juice. Mix well. Then fold in Maryland Blue Crab, trying not to break up the crab meat. Set aside to come to room temperature.