Home > April seasonal recipes > Crab, feta and chard quiche

Crab, feta and chard quiche

Name: Crab, feta and chard quiche
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: Serves 6-8
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: For the pastry; 250g plain flour, plus extra to dust; 130g salted butter, chilled and diced; 1 tbsp fennel seeds; 4 tbsp cold water; For the filling; 2 tsp vegetable oil; Knob of unsalted butter, plus extra to grease; 3 shallots, finely sliced; 100ml white wine; 150g chard, stalks chopped into 1cm pieces, leaves roughly chopped; 200g crab meat (ideally 150g white and 50g brown, though any combination will work); 160g crème fraîche; 2 medium free-range eggs, beaten; 160ml double cream; Finely grated zest 1 lemon; ½ tsp white pepper; 100g feta, cut into small cubes; Specialist kit; 25cm flan tin

By: Melissa Thompson

Published: 1 Mar 23
Updated: 25 Mar 24

“With the beginning of spring this dish celebrates the incoming lighter days. Quiche is a great idea for Easter Sunday – relatively quick to make and the sweetness of the crab is lifted by the tanginess of the feta. It can be made in advance too, leaving time for a Sunday stroll beforehand.” Food writer, Melissa Thompson

Take a look at more Easter lunch recipes

Easy
March 2023

Test kitchen approved

Serves 6-8
Hands-on time 40 min, plus 1 hour chilling and cooling. Oven time 1 hour 10 min

Take a look at more Easter lunch recipes

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 521kcals
Fat: 39g (23.6g saturated)
Protein: 13.6g
Carbohydrates: 26g (1.7g sugars)
Fibre: 1.4g
Salt: 1g

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Ingredients

For the pastry

250g plain flour, plus extra to dust
130g salted butter, chilled and diced
1 tbsp fennel seeds
4 tbsp cold water

For the filling

2 tsp vegetable oil
Knob of unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
3 shallots, finely sliced
100ml white wine
150g chard, stalks chopped into 1cm pieces, leaves roughly chopped
200g crab meat (ideally 150g white and 50g brown, though any combination will work)
160g crème fraîche
2 medium free-range eggs, beaten
160ml double cream
Finely grated zest 1 lemon
½ tsp white pepper
100g feta, cut into small cubes

Specialist kit

25cm flan tin

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Method

For the pastry, rub the butter and flour together with your hands until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Mix in the fennel seeds and add the water, bit by bit, until the pastry comes together into a smooth ball (but try not to overmix). Put in a reusable plastic bag and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a frying pan over a low-medium heat, then add the shallots and a pinch of salt. Gently cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and chard stalks, simmer for 5 minutes, then stir through the chard leaves. Cook until the wine has evaporated and the shallots are translucent, then remove from the heat and set aside.
Heat the oven to 160°C fan/gas 4 and grease the flan tin with butter. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the pastry until wide enough to fill the case with at least 2cm overhang. Line the tin with the pastry, pushing it into the edges, then prick the base with a fork. Scrunch up a large sheet of baking paper, flatten it out then lay it on top of the pastry. Fill with baking beans or uncooked rice and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the beans/rice and paper, then return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Leave to cool, then use a knife to trim away the excess pastry around the edge.

To make the filling, mix the brown crabmeat with the crème fraîche, eggs, double cream, lemon zest, white pepper and a pinch of salt. Gently mix in the white crabmeat and feta. Pour a little of the mixture into the bottom of the pastry case, then top with the chard mixture. Pour the remaining crab mixture on top, gently moving the leaves around so there are no air gaps.
Turn the temperature of the oven down to 140°C fan/gas 3. Cook the quiche for 45 minutes so there’s still a slight wobble, then take it out of the oven and leave to cool before slicing.