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Crab pasties

Name: Crab pasties
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: British recipes
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 (see our how-to video below); 90g white breadcrumbs; Bunch of fresh chives, snipped; 1kg shortcrust or puff pastry; 1 medium free-range egg, lightly whisked

Published: 31 Jul 09
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Make a batch of these crab pasties and freeze half, ready to be popped in the oven for quick, easy dinner another time.

Easy
August 2009

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4
Takes 40 min to make, 30-40 min to cook, plus freezing and cooking from frozen

Make a batch of these crab pasties and freeze half, ready to be popped in the oven for quick, easy dinner another time.

Freezable

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 829kcals
Fat: 51.8g (17.8g saturated)
Protein: 25.4g
Carbohydrates: 69.8g (3.5g sugar)
Salt: 2.4g

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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 (see our how-to video below)
90g white breadcrumbs
Bunch of fresh chives, snipped
1kg shortcrust or puff pastry
1 medium free-range egg, lightly whisked

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Method

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.
Add the crabmeat, breadcrumbs, chives and saffron cream to the large bowl. Season.
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.

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.
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.

Recipe from August 2009 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 829kcals
Fat: 51.8g (17.8g saturated)
Protein: 25.4g
Carbohydrates: 69.8g (3.5g sugar)
Salt: 2.4g

delicious. tips

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