Creped Crustaceans

The Crepes

Prep. time 60 mins

The flavour of many native herbs and spices and some fruits, for example, muntharies, is well utilised incorporated into crepes or bread dishes and bread sauces. All these soak up flavour and are economic uses of these bushfoods. The mixture of akudjura, wattle and mountain pepper is Australia's answer to a Cajun spice mix.

400g self-raising wholemeal flour
1 egg
1 litre water, approx.
a generous pinch of salt
1 tablespoons Wattle
teaspoon Native thyme
1 tablespoon Akudjura
teaspoon ground Mountain pepper
teaspoon ground white pepper
teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a food processor, mix the flour and salt. Add the egg and 200ml of the water. Pulse blend to completely wet the flour taking up all the dry mix. Add half the remaining water blend until smooth. Pour the mixture evenly into three bowls. To one add the native thyme and set aside for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, boil the wattle in 60ml of the water (conveniently done in a microwave). Add two thirds of the wattle including some of the grounds to the second bowl and leave stand 20 minutes. Add the remaining wattle to the third bowl as well as the rest of the spices and also set aside. Before beginning to cook the crepes adjust the thickness of each batter with extra water to pouring consistency so that as the batter is added to the hot pan, it can be spread simply by tilting the pan with a circular motion to create round crepes of even thickness of 3 to 4mm and 6 to 8cm diameter. Cook off all the crepes using an oil spray to grease the crepe pan and with the heat at medium intensity. As each crepe is made add it to one of three flavoured piles under a clean towel.

 

The Creped Crustaceans

Prep. time 30 mins

This dish requires the crepes to be made beforehand and then some skill and timing to serve six. Single serves prepared on order with pre-prepared crepes is easier. The sousing mixture of white wine, white wine vinegar and water is ideal for all seafoods which should be just cooked to rare. An alternative mix, particularly for stronger flavoured seafoods, for example, prawns is a mix of a dark beer eg. Tooheys Old, and thickened with nut butter, beurre manié or cream.

6 of each of the preceeding crepes
200ml white wine
200ml white wine vinegar
200ml water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
6 large king prawns
6 large yabbies or 12 small ones
6 large Balmain or Moreton Bay bugs or 12 small ones
1 tablespoon cold butter
2 teaspoons Lemon aspen juice
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon Quandong nut and almond butter
decorative salad vegetables and fine sliced blanched coloured capsicum for garnish

Onto 6 warmed plates lay out one of each of the three crepes; native thyme, wattle and Australian Cajun, folded in half in an arc. Cover the plates with a hot wet towel. In a medium saucepan bring the white wine, white wine vinegar and water to the boil. Sweeten with the honey and add the salt. Add the seafoods, prawns first, bugs next and quickly followed by the yabbies. Cook briefly until just creamy white and then 30 seconds longer. Remove and drain. Plate out the prawns under the flap of the Australian Cajun crepes, the yabbies on the wattle crepes and the bugs on the Native thyme crepes. Re-cover and keep warm under the hot wet towel. To each of three small pans on medium heat add about 100ml of the sousing broth. Reboil one and reduce to half. While this first pan is reducing, take the second pan of broth add 2 teaspoons of lemon aspen juice and whisk in one egg yolk. Place onto a very low heat and continue whisking until thick and frothy. Uncover the plates and pour the lemon aspen sabayon over the bugs. Remove the first pan from the heat and add the cold butter. Stir in and use to garnish the Cajun prawns. Boil the third pan of broth. Add 1 tablespoon of the quandong nut and almond butter. Stir to thicken and use to garnish the yabbies. Finish garnishing the plates with the salad and serve.

[ Balmain Bugs ] [ Creped Crustaceans ] [ Crusted Kangaroo ] [ Fillet of Beef ] [ Gumleaf Bavarois ] [ Lemon Myrtle Rum Baba ] [ Outback Pizza ] [ Oysters Outback ] [ Austro-Asian Roast Pork ] [ Seared Emu ] [ Sydney Salad ] [ WattleSeed Pavlova ]

Recipe and menu banner ©Bush Tucker Supply Australia

[ Dinkum Tucker ] [ True Blue Recipes ] [ Aussie Specialties ] [ Conversion ] [ Australian Bush Food Menu ]