Snacks from crab sticks have long been regulars in holiday tables, striking in the diversity of even the most sophisticated chef. This article contains a small fraction of the dishes from this simple product, showing how varied and unusual it is possible to cook crab sticks in combination with different products.
Sprats rolls
This appetizer of crab sticks and cheese was not made except by a lazy or completely indifferent person to these products. But in vain, because, despite the simple components, it looks very elegant and incredibly tasty!
To prepare the rolls, you first need to prepare the filling: the contents of one can of sprats, knead with a fork and mix with four boiled eggs, grated on a fine grater. To this mass add two processed cheese, also grated, and a couple of spoons of mayonnaise. To stir thoroughly. Peel the crab sticks (about 20 pcs.) From the film and immerse it in hot water for 8-10 seconds and immediately unfold each one into the canvas. You can try it without heat treatment, but not all sticks are susceptible to such an effect - for some, the whole structure collapses. On the edge of each unfolded crab stick, put a spoon of the filling, slightly spreading it on a plane, and wrap it in a roll, chopping with a toothpick if necessary. Put the snack in the refrigerator for a couple of hours so that it is well soaked.
Stuffed with Herbs and Cheese
This appetizer of stuffed crab sticks is prepared according to a similar principle, only such a mass is used as a filling:
- A bunch of fresh dill chopped as small as possible.
- 200 grams of cheese, grated on a fine grater.
- Four boiled eggs, chopped in the same way.
- 4 cloves of garlic, passed through a press and mixed with 3 tbsp. tablespoons of mayonnaise + a pinch of black pepper.
Raffaello
An appetizer of crab sticks in the form of balls has become fashionable since this simple seafood appeared in the territory of the former Soviet Union. The set of products is unchanged: eggs, cheese, mayonnaise with garlic and, of course, sticks, but in different forms, the combination of these products each time has a completely different taste.
An appetizer “Raffaello” is being prepared from crab sticks in literally ten minutes, but it looks so elegant that it is often used at various banquets and receptions. For cooking, you should take:
- five boiled eggs;
- two hundred grams of crab sticks and hard cheese;
- one hundred grams of mayonnaise;
- three cloves of garlic.
Set aside three crab sticks, and grate all other ingredients on a fine grater and mix into a single mass. Form from it balls the size of a ping-pong ball. Grate the remaining sticks and roll the balls into this shavings.
"Raffaello with a surprise"
Based on this recipe, you can make balls with crab sticks, the snack differs from the previous version by the presence of a “surprise” inside.
Step by step cooking is as follows:
- Grate 150 grams of hard and cream cheese on a fine grater.
- Add to the mass of two hundred grams of crab sticks, chopped in the same way.
- Boil three chicken eggs, peel and also grate. Add to the total mass.
- Stir the stuffing thoroughly by adding one hundred grams of mayonnaise (or a little less, we are guided by appearance).
- Form walnut-sized balls from the minced meat, and roll one seedless olive in the middle of each. Shred a small bunch of fresh dill very finely and in the resulting mass roll half of the prepared balls with a surprise. Grate two more crab sticks on a fine grater and roll the remaining “rafaelki” in the resulting chips.
- On a serving platter, a snack is laid out on fresh lettuce leaves, putting two balls of different colors on each leaf and garnishing with a slice of fresh tomato.
Fried in batter
An appetizer of crab sticks may not necessarily be cold or traditional in the form of a salad or canapé, why not cook crab sticks in batter? The dish will surely appeal to lovers of warm appetizers with cheese. First of all, you should prepare the batter in this way: grate hard cheese, grate, add two cloves of chopped garlic in a press, and a pinch of salt. You can add black pepper if desired.
Beat with a fork two eggs with two tbsp. tablespoons of sour cream, then combine the egg mixture with cheese and mix well. Peel the crab sticks, dip in batter and fry in a frying pan in vegetable oil. Serve both hot and cooled - they are delicious in any condition.
Tartlets with crab sticks
There are a great variety of recipes for appetizers from crab sticks with which tartlets are filled, so here are the options that differ in the originality of the filling:
- Grind 1/2 cup walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds until crushed (not powder!). Two hundred grams of crab sticks cut into small cubes and mix with nuts. Add to the mass of 150 grams of light mayonnaise, mix thoroughly and fill in small tartlets from waffle dough. It is important to prepare a snack just before serving, otherwise the base will soften and the appearance will be completely different.
- Finely chop one hundred grams of crab sticks, add the same amount of canned corn and one green apple, cut into small cubes. Cut two boiled chicken as well, add to the total mass, season with two tablespoons of mayonnaise and mix thoroughly. For such a filling, it is good to take tartlets from shortcrust or puff pastry, decorating the finished dish with chopped greens on top.
Rolls with cucumber and herbs
This original appetizer with crab sticks on the festive table looks very bright and elegant, and its taste is light and worthy of attention. For cooking, you need such products:
- One hundred grams of cream cheese and gouda, which can be replaced with any soft cheese without additives.
- Long fresh cucumber.
- 120 grams of crab sticks.
- 1 tbsp. spoon of mayonnaise.
- A little fresh parsley.
Gouda grated on a fine grater and mix with finely chopped herbs, add cream cheese and mix thoroughly. Cut the crab sticks into small cubes, and the cucumber into thin slices. On each plate put a little cheese filling and roll it into a roll, fastened with a skewer for snacks or a wooden toothpick. On a flat dish, put the rolls upside down, put a drop of mayonnaise and a pinch of crab sticks in the middle of each teaspoon, slightly pressing them with your fingers to the sauce. It is very beautiful when such an appetizer is located on the leaves of green salad framed by cherry tomatoes.
Verrin with crab sticks
Verrin is a cocktail salad served in glasses or glasses in which the crushed products are laid in layers and spread with sauce. Thus, you can cook a holiday snack from crab sticks.
To prepare five servings, we step by step take the following actions:
- Two fresh cucumbers cut into small cubes and lay on the bottom of the glasses. Put a teaspoon of mayonnaise on top.
- Two hundred grams of crab sticks are also finely chopped and spread in a second layer, also flavoring the top with mayonnaise.
- Four boiled eggs are cut into cubes and placed on top of the sticks, and again put a spoonful of mayonnaise in each cup.
- Grate one hundred grams of hard cheese on a large grater and sprinkle them on top of the snack.
- We cut the crab stick diagonally into slices one cm thick and decorate the finished verrine with them. You can also add two to three leaves of parsley.
Waffle shell
This appetizer of crab sticks at first glance seems strange and completely incompatible, but when you try it, it is already difficult to break away. Square wafer cakes for her are bought ready-made, they are thin and soaked very quickly, so it is better to cook this appetizer on the eve of serving. Mix two boiled eggs, grated on a fine grater, with two processed cheeses, chopped in the same way, and a pair of garlic cloves, passed through the garlic. Add to the mass of 120 grams of mayonnaise and once again mix everything well until a uniform consistency resembling paste. Spread the wafer cake evenly with this mass, put the whole crab sticks on the edge (as long as enough), and when the wafer dough softens a bit, roll it tight. Leave them in a cool place for ten minutes, and then cut them into circles two inches thick.
Each recipe above is only the basis for culinary experiments, and after mastering the basic principles, you can develop ideas and combine in various options for combining foods in snacks.