Make a batch of these crab pasties and freeze half, ready to be popped in the oven for quick, easy dinner another time.
Ingredients
- Pinch of saffron
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Knob of butter
- 5 small shallots, finely diced
- 250g leeks (about 3-4), thinly sliced
- Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons, plus extra wedges to serve
- 150g full-fat crème fraîche
- 600g cooked white crabmeat
- 90g white breadcrumbs
- Bunch of fresh chives, snipped
- 1kg shortcrust or puff pastry
- 1 medium free-range egg, lightly whisked
Method
- 1. Add the saffron to a bowl with 1 tbsp boiling water. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Gently heat the oil and butter in a frying pan. Add the shallots and leeks and cook for 4-5 minutes until soft. Tip into a large bowl. Add the lemon zest and juice and set aside to cool. Stir the cooled saffron water into the crème fraîche.
- 2. Add the crabmeat, breadcrumbs, chives and saffron cream to the large bowl. Season.
- 3. Roll out the pastry to 3mm thick and cut out 8 x 18cm circles (re-rolling if needed). Divide the mix between them, leaving a 1cm edge brushed with egg. Crimp together each pasty, then brush with the rest of the egg.
- 4. Bake 4 pasties on a tray lined with baking paper for 20-30 minutes until golden. Serve warm with a green salad and lemon wedges.
- 5. Open-freeze (see freezing notes, overleaf) the other 4 pasties, then put in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen at 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6 for 40 minutes.
Nutritional info
Per pasty: 829kcals, 51.8g fat (17.8g saturated), 25.4g protein, 69.8g carbs, 3.5g sugar, 2.4g salt
Chef's tip
Open-freezing the pasties stops them freezing in a block. Freeze on a lined tray until solid, then put into a bag or box. Pastry is great cooked from frozen. Be sure to give it a little more time in the oven until the centre of the food is piping hot