CRAB EMPANADAS
Rosa Mexicano Restaurant Recipe
This recipe makes 2 restaurant servings as an entree and serves 3-4 as an appetizer.
Crab Filling:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup white onion, chopped
1 tablespoon jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon crumbled oregano
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup crème fraiche
1/2 pound jumbo lump crab meat
salt to taste
Empanada:
1 1/2 cups Crab Empanada Filling
turnover (or empanada) dough, frozen (can be found in most supermarkets)
canola oil, for pan frying
Crab Filling Instructions: Heat the butter in a saucepan until it starts to color slightly. Add onion and jalapeno to sauce pan and cook until onion is soft and translucent. Add the cumin and oregano and cook for 1 minute. Add cream, bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes at medium heat (in order to infuse well with other ingredients). Season liberally with salt. Mix the crabmeat with the crème fraiche. Toss the crab mixture into the sauce pan, carefully keeping the lumps as whole as possible.
Add salt to taste.
Empanada Instructions: Defrost turnover dough until soft to the touch, pliable to fold. Remove 1 sheet of dough. Fill each sheet with 2 tablespoons of the crab filling. Fold over and seal, crimping the edges with the tines of a fork. Over medium to high heat (not smoking) in a heavy bottom sautepan add enough canola oil to cover the empanada halfway, approximately 1/4 inch. Heat the oil to 375 degrees. Add empanadas, one at a time, and fry until golden brown. Remove from oil and place atop paper towels until slightly cooled.