Welsh rarebit is a type of open-faced grilled cheese sandwich with so much flavor, and it comes together in minutes for a quick lunch anytime.
Have you ever heard of Welsh rarebit? I remember eating it as a little girl growing up in Scotland, and loving it, but I don’t think it’s a very well-known dish in the US.
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So allow me to introduce you to this delicious dish you can easily prepare for a quick lunch, dinner or even a snack.
What is Welsh Rarebit?
Welsh rarebit is simply a lightly toasted piece of bread with a melted cheese concoction poured on top and then broiled/grilled until golden brown. As the name denotes, it was created in Wales and is known as a “poor man’s dish” rather like Italian cucina povera. It usually contains a type of melty cheese, like Cheddar, a liquid and few other ingredients to flavor the mixture. Years ago, I shared my recipe for Irish rarebit which includes bits of cornichons.
How do you Pronounce Rarebit?
There are now two ways to pronounce the word “rarebit”. I grew up saying “rabbit”, but now I have read (and heard) that pronouncing it as it is written, as in “rare-bit” is acceptable. I heard it pronounced this way recently by Ryan Reynolds (who happens to co-own a Welsh football team).
Why was he talking about Welsh rarebit? Because Wrexham AFC has published its own official cookbook! I thought I was prolific with two rarebit recipes, but clearly I’m a loser because this cookbook is called 20 Ways to Make Rarebit by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Hopefully these two jokers don’t put out a recipe book for Welsh cakes next!
Note: read carefully before purchasing the rarebit cookbook because every recipe is exactly the same except for the garnish 🤣 However, it’s all for good as all proceeds go to Wrexham Foodbank.
While Welsh rarebit is basically a glorified cheese on toast, it’s a great option for St. David’s Day (March 1st) and obviously anytime you want a quick and unique cheesy meal! Make it authentically Welsh by using a Welsh cheese. Once you make it a few times, you can tweak it to your liking and you won’t even need to refer to a recipe–it’s that easy!
Can I make Welsh Rarebit without Guinness or Beer?
Of course, you can omit the Guinness or beer and use water, milk or even hard cider when making Welsh rarebit.
Note: you can use any type of savory bread you choose. I used a country loaf from Tartine.
Welsh Rarebit Recipe
adapted from Great British Cookery cookbook by Lucy Knox, et al. Serves 1 (or 2 smaller portions)
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- strong/mature Cheddar cheese or another similar cheese
- butter
- Worcestershire sauce
- English mustard
- flour
- white pepper
- Guinness (or another stout or ale)
- bread
Toast the bread on one side only (use a broiler/grill if your toaster doesn’t have this function).
Put all of the ingredients, except for the toast and Guinness, into a pan, with the butter at the bottom, and place over a low heat.
Add the Guinness, then stir to combine the ingredients. Don’t worry if you think it’s too dry, the cheese mixture won’t be very wet.
Preheat the broiler/grill at this time.
Continue to stir the cheese mixture until a smooth paste forms, then pour over the untoasted side of the slices of bread. It turns into a rather fun consistency!
Place on a baking tray and put under a preheated broiler/grill for a minute or so or until golden brown.
Serve immediately.
If you love cheese check out all my other cheese-y recipes!
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Love melty cheese? Don’t live one more day without discovering Swiss raclette! It’s such a dreamy cheese, honest!
Welsh Rarebit (Classic Cheese on Toast)
Yield: 1
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 4 minutes
Grill Time: 1 minute
Total Time: 10 minutes
A classic recipe from Wales consisting of a melted cheese mixture put on top of toast and grilled until brown and bubbly: a glorified cheese on toast.
Ingredients
- 4 oz strong/mature Cheddar cheese
- 2 tsp butter
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp English mustard (French or a mild German works too)
- 1 tsp flour
- 3 Tbsp Guinness
- 2 slices of bread
Instructions
- Toast the bread on one side only (use a broiler/grill if your toaster doesn't have this function).
- Put all of the ingredients, except for the toast and Guinness, into a pan, with the butter at the bottom, and place over a low heat.
- Add the Guinness, then stir to combine the ingredients. Don't worry if you think it's too dry, the cheese mixture won't be very wet.
- Preheat the broiler/grill at this time.
- Continue to stir the cheese mixture until a smooth paste forms, then pour over the untoasted side of the slices of bread.
- Place on a baking tray and put under a preheated broiler/grill for a minute or so or until golden brown. Serve immediately.
Notes
This can serve 2 smaller appetites.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 708Total Fat: 48gSaturated Fat: 27gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 133mgSodium: 1217mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 32g
Nutrition information is only estimated.
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