I made this crab strudel for a fun, virtual cooking class Junnie & I did for the Research Chefs Association. I love the sweet crab and crunchy water chestnuts in the filling.
Crab Strudel
Strudels are one of my favorite hors d' oeuvres! I like strudel filled with seafood, mushrooms, vegetables etc.. and delicious condiments like pickled vegetables on the side.
Strudel can be cut into triangles, 'mini shaped' strudel or large strudel, sliced & served as an appetizer.
Prep Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 20 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients
Filling
2 Tbsp Canola oil
3 Tbsp Shallots, peeled & minced
1 Tbsp. Garlic, minced
3 Tbsp Water Chestnuts, chopped fine
2 lbs Crabmeat, lump white-picked of shells
4 Tbsp. Cream Cheese
1/4 tsp Tarragon, fresh; chopped
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 lb Olive oil or Whole butter, melted
24 ea. Phyllo dough sheets
1 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs
How to Prepare the Strudel
Step 1
Heat the oil in a saute pan, add the shallots and garlic, cook until tender, about 4 minutes-cool.
Step 2
Place the ingredients for the filling into a bowl and blend evenly. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Step 3
Lay out one sheet of phyllo dough (on to a sheet of parchment paper, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp panko, repeat laying out 3 more consecutive sheets of phyllo dough with the melted whole butter evenly on top of each other.
Step 4
To prepare mini 'logs', cut the phyllo in half, the long way. Place 2 Tbsp of filling at the bottom and roll up, tightly to the top. Crimp the edges on the sides and brush with olive oil or melted butter-bake 350°F until golden brown. or to make triangles...
or
Place 6 spoonfuls of the filling on to the phyllo and cut the dough in to 4 long rows. Fold each row from bottom to top, as you would fold a flag-place onto a sheet pan (parchment optional)
Bake at 350°F until golden brown.
Note: these strudel can be rolled as one large strudel, in triangles or into small, mini strudels depending on how you cut the phyllo dough.
