I’ve found the recipe for this crab tart a few years ago in an old French cookbook. The original recipe was a bit too bland to my taste, so I’ve decided to make a few changes.I omitted the flour from the filling, in order to make it lighter. I also replaced some of the white flour with semolina and spelt flour, to create a crispy texture and add a nutty flavor. I added lemon juice and zest to both the dough and filling, spiced it up a bit with black pepper and cayenne and added a bit of honey for a hint of sweetness.
At the same time, I tried not to add too many flavorings, so that the crab meat flavor and texture would not be masked. Now the tart has a nice contrast between the flaky dough and the soft and tasty filling, and is just perfect as a light lunch or dinner, with green salad on the side.
So it looks like this is going to be the final version. Try it and enjoy.
Makes: 8
Prep time: 30 minutes
Chilling time: 1 hour
Baking time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
For the dough:
1 cup flour
1 stick (115 grams) cold butter, cut into cubes
1 tsp salt
¼ cup fine semolina
¾ cup spelt flour
1 L egg white (save the egg yolk for the filling)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbs lemon zest
1-2 Tbs cold water
For the filling:
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1.5 oz (45 grams) butter, soft
1 tsp salt
1 tsp honey
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
2/3 cup whole milk
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
½ tsp salt
1 tsp honey
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 Tbs lemon zest
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 can (6 oz/170 grams) crab meat
1 can (8oz/225 grams) can lump crab meat
1. The dough: in a large bowl, mix the flour and butter to a coarse mixture. Add the salt, semolina, spelt flour, egg white, lemon juice and zest, and mix briefly. Add 1-2 Tbs cold water, just enough to create a dough. Do not over mix. Wrap with wax paper and place in the fridge for one hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 355F (180C). Roll the dough on a floured surface to a round sheet ¼” (½ cm) thick. Place the rolled dough in a 10” (26cm) baking pan, or a large tart pan. Trim the edges and press them with your fingers to the rim of the pan, to create a decorative pattern. Place baking paper on top and add some beans, to prevent the dough from rising during the baking. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baking paper and beans and place back in the oven for 5 minutes. Take out but keep the oven on. Let cool a bit before adding the filling.
3. The filling: mix the onion, butter, salt, honey, black pepper and cayenne in a small pan. Sauté over medium high heat, mixing occasionally, until the onion is soft and golden. let cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, mix the milk and eggs. Add the onions, salt, honey, tomato paste, lemon zest and black pepper and mix well. Add the crab meat and crab lumps and mix gently with a spatula, so that the lumps will not break.
Pour into the semi-baked dough and place in the oven.
Bake for 40 minutes, until the filling is golden-brown. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes than carefully transfer to a cutting board and cut into 8 portions.
Yum!
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Thank you! 🙂
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I was just telling my husband how good that tart looks. He was surprised as I’m not a big seafood fan. LOL!
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Then it’s even a greater compliment! With so many different seafood, maybe you’ll find one you like after all… 🙂
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I know, I need to broaden my food horizons. We were recently seaside in Costa Rica, and I didn’t have any seafood. and we were there for 10 days!
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Hard to believe! 😦
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Looks so ymmy!
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Thank you Khadija. I’m glad you liked it. It was yummy! 🙂
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Thanks dear for sharing!
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🙂
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Very tempting!
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Thank you Freda! 🙂
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One of my sisters has the same interests in food that I do and I will have to make this for her. Crab and onions and the way you’ve seasoned it will be a big hit for us both 🙂
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Thank you Judi, I’m very glad to hear that. I hope you both will enjoy the dish. I’ll be happy to see your version of it. 🙂
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I would definitely not change the filling, maybe the dough as I have never used spelt flour before and semolina on occasion. But maybe I should try something new… Thanks Ronit!
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Yes, you can always go back to the original all-white flour dough. It wasn’t bad at all. I just like to experiment with different types of flours lately… 🙂
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Oh my,, now you’re talking my language Ronit. How delicious it looks!
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Thank you Loretta, I’m glad to know!
I was very happy with this version, so it was worth it to write it down. 🙂
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I would try to stuff at least half of that right directly into my face in one sitting!
Virtual hugs,
Judie
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lol Now that’s a compliment! 🙂
Actually, it’s really not too heavy, so you might be able to! 🙂
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I have never had such a tart before. It sounds delicious!
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Thank you Annika, I’m glad you liked the recipe. It’s one of my favorites. 🙂
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That looks so good. I think you made some good decisions with your modifications. 🙂
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Thank you Rini, I’m glad you liked my version . I was very happy with this final one. 🙂
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So many people these days can’t bake with flour . I’m passing this delist dish along, Ronit. Nice.
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Do note the dough does contain flour.
You can use the filling with some flourless base if needed. 🙂
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Good golly, you’re right, Ronit. I saw the spelt and semolina and jumped to a conclusion. Still a nice recipe, though. 🙃
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Thank you Mary, I understand the eagerness to find “no flour” recipe.
It’s just a shame that flour has become the new enemy and so many avoid it even when there’s no real medical reason for it.
In any case, if the reason is gluten sensitivity, note that both semolina and spelt flour contain gluten.
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We have crab in the freezer (caught fresh by us and cooked live). This is a perfect recipe for something different, thank you!!!
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Thank you Kathryn, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I hope you’ll enjoy it too. I’m sure it will taste even better with such fresh crab. I’ll be happy to see your version. 🙂
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Hopefully soon enough!
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You had me at crab! I ate at a Thai restaurant for lunch today, and had a dish with crab and was just thinking how rare it is to eat crab, but how much I enjoy it. Have a great week!!
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Thank you Dave, I’m glad to hear! I agree about crab, it’s so good! I love making crab cakes as well, but this tart is a favorite. 🙂
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mmm. . . This looks wonderful. The beans look like good way to keep the crust from rising, When I bake (or semi-bake) a crust before adding the filling I tend to have the most difficulty with the sides of the crust shrinking or semi-caving in. Do you have any ideas about how to avoid this problem?
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Thank you Sheryl, I’m glad you liked the recipe.
The dough here contains egg white, so it is less likely to shrink. However, I still use the beans to prevent the crust from rising, and they also help with keeping the sides from collapsing.
Another method you could use, is to place the pan with the rolled dough in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before baking.
I hope it helps. Good luck! 🙂
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Thanks! These are really helpful suggestions. I should try adding egg white to my dough recipe – and I really like the idea of putting it into the freezer for a few minutes prior to baking. I always make a French Silk pie at Thanksgiving and have trouble with the crust. I’m going to give these suggestions a try when I make it this year.
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Glad to hear and I hope it will help. 🙂
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I’d love to have with green salad beside on sunny Saturday 🙂
Lemon zest and juice in dough must be good!
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Thank you, I’m glad you liked the tart. The addition of lemon juice and zest is definitely something I will repeat in other tarts as well. 🙂
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I’ll try it, too. 🙂
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Hope you’ll enjoy it. I’ll be happy to read your comments. 🙂
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The dough sounds really interesting…
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Thank you Elaine, I’m glad you liked the recipe. Lately I like to experiment with different types of flour and I like the result. 🙂
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Me too! I love the flavour of the ancient grains and flours 🙂
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Same here! 🙂
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I’ve never had a seafood tart of any kind but this does sound very good.
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Thank you Karen, I’m glad you liked the idea. 🙂
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This would be especially nice to serve around the holidays. It looks delicious! 🙂
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Thank you Tonya, I’m glad you liked the recipe. It is indeed perfect for the holidays. 🙂
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It looks yummy!
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Thank you! 🙂
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You made me laugh with all the changes from the original. I think you can claim this one as your own.
Best,
Conor
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I guess you’re right! 🙂
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Looks delicious Ronit!
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Thank you Antonia! 🙂
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I just nominated your blog for the Mystery Blogger Award❣️
https://ontheroadcooking.com/2016/11/08/mystery-blogger-award-nomination/
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Thank you, but I’m afraid I don’t participate in the awards scene for lack of time. 🙂
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Wow Ronit. It truly looks amazing and sounds it too. Never made one with crab, what a great idea.
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Thank you Myra, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I do love crab meant in any form and the tart is a favorite of mine. Well worth trying! 🙂
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I’ve never had any kind of seafood tart before, sounds delicious Ronit 🙂
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Thank you Marisa, I’m glad you’ve found this recipe interesting. It’s a bit unusual, but very tasty! 🙂
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I would grab that any time. It looks delicious!
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Thank you Liz, I’m glad to hear! 🙂
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Fabulous!
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Thank you Mimi! 🙂
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I like this kind of salty cakes, and I love crab too!
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Thank you Graziano, I’m glad to hear! 🙂
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Wow. Want.
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Thank you! 🙂
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Sounds wonderful, Ronit. Knowing where to draw the line with other ingredients or spices is key when dealing with delicately flavored items like crab. Looks like you handled it very well.
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Thank you John!
I totally agree – with such delicate ingredients “less is more” is my motto. 🙂
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Yummy yummy 😉
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Thank you! 🙂
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I love crab and your tart looks scrumptious! I am drooling as I type 🙂
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lol Thank you Sandhya, for such a nice comment and making me smile while reading. Have a great day! 🙂
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Ronit, this is the best tart I have ever seen!!
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Thank you Sumith for such a great compliment.. 🙂
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looks so good.
I will give it a try when it’s crab season
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Thank you Wendy. I’m glad to hear. Hope you’ll enjoy it. 🙂
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Reblogged this on mamabatesmotel.
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