Maldon’s Cookbook Club with Max Halley

Max’s World of Sandwiches is the ultimate guide to transforming the humble sandwich into a culinary masterpiece. Created by Max Halley, the globally celebrated ‘Sandwich King’, this book celebrates sandwiches in all their glorious diversity. Max’s Sandwich Shop in London has earned international acclaim for reimagining what a sandwich can be, along with his media appearances on shows like MasterChef, Sunday Brunch, and Top Chef to spread the love around sandwiches. With contributions to The Guardian and The Evening Standard, Max shares his passion for the art of sandwich-making with audiences everywhere. Whether it’s buns, wraps, bao, or even kebabs, Max’s book promises a world of delicious possibilities.

At the heart of the the book lies a two-part structure: sandwiches and their essential components. The first section is packed with inventive sandwich recipes that marry flavours, textures, and creative inspiration, transforming everyday ingredients into unforgettable meals. The second section dives deep into the element that define a great sandwich: fresh bread, sauces, bold fillings and toppings such as crunchy crisps. By combining both sections, readers are empowered to craft sandwiches that are as exciting to make as they are to eat.

The recipes in the book range from deliciously simple to spectacularly unique creations, offering something for every occasion. Quick and easy options include the Prawn Cocktail Sandwich, and the Supermarket Rotisserie Chicken Sandwich, perfect meals on the go. For those looking to elevate their sandwich game, try more intricate creations like the Porchetta Sandwich or Coronation Fried Chicken Sandwich. There’s even room for dessert, with indulgent ideas like a Hot Cross Bun Sandwich with Salted Caramel Ice Cream.

Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned sandwich enthusiast, Max’s guide ensures there’s always something new to discover.

In Conversation with Max Halley

Max, your approach to sandwiches is both iconic and (seriously) inventive. What inspired you to create ‘Max’s World of Sandwiches’, and what do you hope readers take away from it?

I wanted to try and help as many people as possible think differently about what might can be put between two bits of bread, and to reconsider what might constitute a sandwich – I hope readers of the book will be freed from the (delicious, of course) tyranny of deli meats and mozzarella and develop a more liberal attitude to mayonnaise.

The book is split into ‘sandwiches’ and ‘components’. Why did you decide on this structure, and how do you think it changes the way readers might think about building a sandwich?

I wanted to give everyone some really wonderful examples of all the mad stuff you can make sandwiches with ( a HOW-TO sandwich I guess) and then give them TONNES of recipes to come up with brilliant things of their own. I also love the idea of sneaking a surprisingly serious cookbook on people whilst pretending to have written a silly book about sandwiches.

You’ve got some wonderfully innovative recipes in this book, from a Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich to a Hot Cross Bun Sandwich with Salted Caramel Ice Cream. What’s your process for coming up with these unique flavour combinations?

Everything begins with deliciousness. When I eat something I think is delicious, I think one of two things: ‘How could I turn that into a sandwich?’ Or, ‘is that basically a sandwich?’ Life’s a joy I tell you. 

Come on, we’re dying to ask…what would be your favourite recipe in the book?!

All my children are beautiful hahahahaha. The chimichurri recipe is JUST INCREDIBLE and as good with a Sunday roast as it is with a piece of grilled fish or in any sandwich !!!!

For sandwich novices, what would be your top tips for building a simple yet unforgettable sandwich?

Never forget crunch – the missing element of most sandwiches. And lettuce isn’t crunchy, it’s fresh, crisps are crunchy. You should always put more mayonnaise in too. If you want to know how much mayo to put in a sandwich, keep putting it in until you feel a little intimidated. Then you’re there. Oh, yes, you’d also be AMAZED at what you can blend up and mix into mayonnaise. My wife always jokes that there’s no point asking me to try food she’s cooking because she knows I’m going to say ‘more salt and more acid’, so always think about that too. As you well know, a pinch of salt can make a huge difference to nearly everything, as can a squeeze of lemon or drop of nice vinegar. 

Name three things in the kitchen you can’t live without!

An enquiring mind, a willingness to experiment and a large glass of wine. 

Your passion for sandwiches shines through in every recipe! What’s next for you and for Max’s Sandwich Shop? Any future plans you can share for what’s coming up in the world of Max Halley?

My Sandwich Shop just turned ten, so at the moment we’re refurbishing it to get it ready for the next ten years!!! Other than that, I’m just trying to find new things to blend up and mix into mayonnaise and spread a bit of joy in the world. Long live Max’s Sandwich Shop, Long live sandwiches and long live each and every one of us. 

Steak Tartare Sandwich Recipe

Is a burger a sandwich? Is it stuff between two bits of bread? Max used to have a girlfriend who lived down the road from one of London’s (the world’s?) greatest restaurants: Otto’s French Restaurant.They often went to have steak tartare there because it’s just so damn good! She could only ever eat half, so they’d take hers home and the next day, devil that Max is, he’d fry it in a patty and have it as a burger for his lunch. Half travesty, half brilliant.

At Otto’s they, and if you are lucky, the man himself, will mix your steak tartare at the table in a wonderful piece of restaurant theatre. Max cannot recommend it enough. They’ll also squash you a whole duck, lobster or pigeon, but we’ll let you find out about that for yourself.

Have a read of the fried egg chat in Max’s new book. Soft, floppy fried eggs are just so, so good in the right sandwiches. And don’t worry, you don’t need to make shoestring fries like Max does at the Sarnie Shop (unless you want to, of course). The internet sells these wonderful Portuguese crisps called Dalimar Potato Sticks (Batata-Palha) which you can use instead. Some supermarkets sell their own brand potato sticks, but they’re often made of reconstituted potato and are consequently very dry and tend to be too thick anyway. As Max says in the recipe, you can always just crush up some ready salted crisps.

Begin by making the steak tartare

Ideally use fillet, talk to the butcher – sirloin is also very nice, just don’t use the hard white fat across the top of the steak. This recipe Makes enough for 4 burgers/ servings, or could feed 8–10 as a little nibble, in Baby Gem lettuce cups if you’re feeling ‘bougie’.

• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) very good, lean beef, ideally fillet
• 2 squash-ball-sized shallots, very finely diced
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped (if salted, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes, then drained and chopped) (if you can buy those tiny capers, some times called Lilliput Capers, just leave them whole)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½  teaspoon Maldon Salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• A good few dashes of Tabasco sauce
• 2 large free-range egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• Small handful of finely chopped parsley
• A good few dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Method:

1. Cut the steak into strips, then cut the strips into half lengthways, or even into three if the steak is very thick. Cut those strips into little chunks. This will be even easier if you use your sharpest knife and your meat is refrigerator cold.
2. Once all the beef is cut into nice small bits, add it to a bowl and add everything else. Mix to combine and serve in whatever fashion you intend, which could well be with a few mates and some chips, roast potatoes or crisps. If this is for the burger, then mix everything, form into tight patties and refrigerate on a plate for at least 2 hours.

Prepare the Tarragon Mayonnaise

This is great with any soft herb- basil, chervil, coriander (cilantro), parsley, etc. Just the leaves though – no stalks! Makes enough for 5–10 sandwiches depending on how much you like mayonnaise.

• 1 batch of mayonnaise, or 250 g (9 oz) store-bought ( like Hellmann’s)
• 50 g (2 oz) fresh tarragon, leaves picked
• 2 teaspoons capers, washed and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar (if you have it, white wine vinegar if not)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Big pinch of Maldon Salt
• 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard (optional)

1. If you’re making the mayo from scratch, get that done now. In a separate bowl or container, blend (for a full 20 seconds), the fresh tarragon with the capers, vinegar and olive oil. If you’ve had enough blending for some reason, you could just hand chop the tarragon leaves and capers as finely as you can manage.
2. Bang the mayo and remaining ingredients, into a small bowl and whisk everything together. If your mayo feels too thick with all the gear mixed in, thin it out with a teaspoon of water.
3. This will keep very well for at least 2 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Make the steak tartare sandwich:

Ingredients:

• 1 x 150-g (5 ½ -oz) steak tartare patty*, the same diameter as your bun and about 2.5 cm (1 in) thick
• 1 egg
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 floury bap or any nice bread roll, cut in half
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (Max likes French’s mustard too), mixed with a touch of mayonnaise to make it easier to spread
• 1 tablespoon Tarragon Mayonnaise*
• Handful of Shoestring Fries, Dalimar Potato Sticks or crushed ready salted crisps

Method:

1. Make the tartare into a nice, tight patty in your hands. Make a ball first, then shape into a puck and squeeze it all together relatively tightly. Slap the puck a bit on both sides to get the air out. Do this 2 hours before you want to cook because it needs to sit in the refrigerator for that long first. This will make it less likely to fall apart and make sure it’s really cold, so you have more time to get it crisp and crusty on the outside without overcooking it as a whole.
2. Now to the cooking. Take the patty straight from the refrigerator and into one side of a super-hot frying pan (skillet) with a good splash of veg oil in it – it should be literally smoking hot when the patty goes in. Fry the inside top and bottom of the bun in the pan with the patty until toasted. Squish the patty down gently with the spatula and flip it (really carefully) only once so a nice crust and some colour can build up – about 2 minutes. Give it another little squish and cook it for the same time as the first side, pushing it back together a bit if necessary. Don’t move it about or touch it at all. Because it isn’t minced, as burgers normally are, it will fall apart if you try to move it about. You could cook it inside a metal pastry ring if you’ve got one.
3. Spread the mustard mayo on the bottom of the bun. Remember you eat tartare raw, so don’t overcook it. Using your spatula, carefully pick it up and put it straight on the bottom of the bun.
4. Fry yourself an egg however you normally do it while the burger is resting.
5. Spread the tarragon mayo on the inside top of the bun, then sprinkle the shoestring fries/ crisps all over it.
6. Fried egg on top of the burger. Lid on. GO, GO, GO.

Adaptations to the sandwich

Don’t worry too much if the patty does fall apart a bit, as my friend Dan from Seattle’s exemplary Mean Sandwich well knows: a steak tartare sandwich is still a lovely thing.

A few cursory lettuce leaves (romaine or baby gem) might be nice. Some chopped raw onion would be great. Different flavour crisps are worth a go also!

You could use veal, or if you’re really bougie, fresh Ibérico pork for the tartare, instead of beef. You could melt cheese on the burger?! Try it with different mayonnaises, hot sauce or different mustards. You could add ketchup to the sandwich, it’s in the tartare anyway. Put caviar in there if you want (the cheap, refrigerated lumpfish roe from the supermarket would be perfect).

Where to buy ‘Max’s World of Sandwiches’?

You can find where to purchase Max’s NEW cookbook here and start being creative with food and flavours in the comfort of your kitchen.

Make sure you have your Maldon Salt ready for these recipes! If you are running out, please feel free to browse on our Where to Buy Page to find your nearest store in which stocks our beloved Maldon Salt.

Lastly, we LOVE seeing your creations – please tag us on Instagram using the #maldonsalt so we can share your own take on Max’s recipes!