Crab-Stuffed Crepes with Marinara
Centollos, the delightful sweet spider crabs along Spain’s northern coast, are the stars of this dish. However, as they are rarely available in the United States, Alaskan King crab serves as an excellent substitute. Here’s how to make this delicious meal:
Ingredients
Serves: 6
Crepes:
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Crab Filling:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped leeks white part only
- 2 tablespoons very finely chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons very finely chopped carrot
- ½ pound fresh crab meat
- 2 tablespoons brandy
Marinara Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 small tomato finely chopped
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme or 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups store-bought or homemade fish broth partial recipe or bottled clam juice
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Crepes:
- Combine all crepe ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
- Lightly grease a small skillet or crepe pan (preferably 4 inches in diameter) and heat it up.
- Swirl just enough batter to coat the pan, about 1 tablespoon.
- Once the crepe sets, flip it and cook the other side.
- Avoid browning the crepes.
Crab Filling:
- Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
- Add leeks, onion, and carrots.
- Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the crab meat, followed by the brandy.
- Stand back, ignite the liquid with a match or kitchen lighter, and allow it to extinguish.
- Cook for an additional minute and set aside.
Marinara Sauce:
- Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
- Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring until softened, which should take about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato and continue cooking until the tomato liquid evaporates.
- Add the wine, thyme, and bay leaf, cooking until the sauce reduces by half.
- Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the fish broth and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer, reserving 1 cup.
- Discard the solids.
- Season with salt to taste.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Place 2 tablespoons of crab meat in the center of each crepe, roll them up, and arrange them seam side down in a greased baking dish.
- Pour the reserved sauce over the crepes and bake for 10 minutes.
- Serve your crab-stuffed crepes with marinara hot and enjoy.
