Creamy Seafood Crepes

These are subtly flavored, delicious bundles of goodness from a cookbook called Classic Home Cooking. A friend and I prepared these years ago for a small dinner party, and I'm not sure what brought them to mind this afternoon, but now I WANT SOME. They were a huge hit at the dinner party.

I remember this being fairly labor-intensive, but I'm sure it had a bit to do with my skill level at the time (about 15 years ago? ahem). I will make these again, and report back.

{picture soon! I can't wait!}

Creamy Seafood Crepes
A succulent filling of shrimp and whitefish in an herbed cream sauce makes these crepes an excellent light lunch dish or dinner party first course. The unfilled crepes can be made in advance and stored in the freezer for up to 1 month: leave them to cool after frying, layer them with waxed paper, and wrap in foil.



Serves 6


Filling:
1/2 pound cod fillet, skinned
3/4 pound shrimp, cooked
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon dill seeds, crushed
salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons light cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
basil sprigs and lemon coronets to garnish


Crepes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups milk
sunflower or corn oil for frying

1. Make the crepe batter: sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the egg, extra egg yolk, and a little of the milk.

2. Gradually blend in the flour, beating until smooth. Add the remaining milk to give the batter the consistency of thin cream. Leave to stand for about 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, make the filling: cut the cod into 1/2-inch pieces.. Reserve 12 of the shrimp for garnish and peel the remainder.

4. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, add the onion and garlic, and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes, until soft but not browned.

5. Add the cod, tomatoes, dill seeds, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat, stirring, for 10 minutes or until the mixture is thick and rich.

6. Stir in the cream and shrimp and heat gently. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil. Keep warm.

7. Heat a small skillet, and brush with a little oil. Ladle about 3 tablespoons batter into the pan and cook for 1 minute, until the underside is golden. Turn and cook the second side. Keep warm. Repeat to make 12 crepes.

8. Fill the crepes with the seafood mixture and fold *(see below). Garnish with the reserved shrimp, basil sprigs and lemon coronets.


*Filling and folding the crepes:

• Put a crepe on a board or clean serving plate. Put 2-3 spoonfuls of the seafood filling on one half of the crepe and spread it to within 1/4 inch of the edge.
• Fold the unfilled half of the crepe over the seafood filling to enclose it.
• Fold the crepe in half again to form a triangle. Transfer to a serving plate and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining crepes and filling.